Gujarat’s First Project: Police to Arrive Upon Pressing Video Calling Box’s Button on Street Poles
Now, sisters and daughters can feel assured about their safety on the streets at night, as their guardian is no longer just their brother or family members but the police themselves. The Ahmedabad police has launched a unique project for the security of sisters and daughters, especially senior citizens and young children. In this project, in particular situations where the family cannot reach, immediate police assistance will be provided. In situations of distress, if a person presses a button, their message will reach the police control room in a short time, and they can communicate via video. This system ensures that immediate local police or senior officials can reach the location if necessary. This entire arrangement, initiated by the Ahmedabad City Police, is the first of its kind in 8 cities across the country.
The entire country was deeply affected by the Nirbhaya incident, and its repercussions were felt both nationally and internationally. Finally, a project was launched in this context, allocating eight cities a budget of 2300 crore rupees, including Ahmedabad. As part of this initiative, a special provision has been made for Ahmedabad from the allocated funds, with separate arrangements being made to ensure the safety of women and children. People from abroad are coming to see this project, and it will also be launched in Riyadh soon. After the Nirbhaya incident, Ahmedabad has been included under the Nirbhaya Safe City project, and special measures for the safety of women in Ahmedabad have been initiated as part of this project.
Currently, 80 cameras have been installed as part of the project, which will increase to 3000 as it progresses: Ajay Chaudhary, the nodal officer for the project, and the Joint Police Commissioner stated in a conversation with Divya Bhaskar that this project is starting for the first time in India. With a focus on the safety of women and children, live feed cameras have been installed at more than 80 locations across Ahmedabad city, and this number will increase to over 3,000 in the near future. Moreover, feeds are being taken from separate locations, and video boxes have been installed in areas identified as unsafe for women and girls under this project.
Out of the 120 police personnel, the one responsible will be transferred: Ajay Chaudhary
They further state that this video box is being started in Gujarat for the first time. Its design is being prepared by L&T and it will be equipped with artificial intelligence. They emphasized that they are working with priority on incidents and seriousness. In this box, anyone seeking help will have to press a red button, and immediately the camera in front will be activated in the police control room. Along with pressing the red button, the high-resolution night vision camera inside the box will also be activated, and the person who pressed the help button will be reached in the visual control room. Based on this, it will be determined who among the 120 police personnel present there is responsible, and then they will be transferred after confirmation, whether it is a forced or necessary conversation with the needy person, and preparations for providing assistance in minutes are also underway. This project will start shortly, and it is going to be very important for Ahmedabad.
According to them, even at separate crowded places in Ahmedabad, cameras of this kind have been installed. These cameras have high resolution and are sensor-based. They operate on the basis of artificial intelligence software, which enables monitoring from police stations or any such location where monitoring can be done from a stand. Currently, special police officers are also being provided training, and special arrangements are being made in this training to teach them how to identify emergencies or needy people. Not only that, but the server is also connected to the camera. Especially, face recognition cameras have been installed, so that anyone seen in the spectacles of this camera will trigger an alert. It means that 1,000 clicks of photos can be filtered within one second, and based on that, immediate action can be taken for security measures.
The Face Recognition cameras will enable the authorities to search for suspicious individuals based on the data fed into the server through these cameras. This means that volunteers, suspects, or criminals’ photos and details will be added. Those flagged individuals will be searched for using this system, and their alerts will be sent to the control room. Based on this, nearby police can immediately reach the location and take necessary action. Not only that, but if a suspect is involved in any significant event at any place, the news could be reported beforehand. Thus, the person and their background along with social media photographs can be matched to ascertain their details. For instance, if the person has had any anti-social interactions on their social media handle, their photograph will be available near the control room. This enables immediate identification and apprehension of the individual if they are present at a public gathering or any location, and they can be detained promptly.
They argue that even with such smart systems in place, criminals can still evade detection. Furthermore, in Ahmedabad city, a war room has been set up in the new police commissioner’s office for this project. Specially trained police personnel will monitor it round the clock. This system will greatly assist in important police operations in Ahmedabad city. Any person can be searched for help at any time, and the entire arrangement has been made for that purpose. Currently, these cameras have been installed at various locations in Ahmedabad, each equipped with different filters. Specifically, if there is a traffic problem or waterlogging, they can filter out feeds that capture such incidents simultaneously. For example, if someone violates traffic rules or causes an accident with a white car, then only footage with white cars will be filtered out. This will enable the authorities to easily identify vehicles on Ahmedabad city roads, and even the tiniest details will help in vehicle searches, making it easier to find the culprits. Therefore, even with such smart systems, criminals cannot easily escape detection.
It was further stated by Ajay Chaudhary that even those who hide their number plates and violate traffic rules can be identified. He mentioned that if a person hides their number plate and doesn’t follow traffic rules, this camera system can capture their micro-details with a special software being installed. This software, along with micro-vision, can retrieve the vehicle’s number plate details, which will then be forwarded to the responsible police officer. Thus, even those trying to evade detection by concealing their number plates can be traced and held accountable.
With access to the footage from these cameras, the DCPI (Deputy Commissioner of Police Intelligence) officers will have the authority to access any information and make decisions accordingly. This means that in the future, the workload of 20 police officers can be reduced, as a result of which a smarter police force will be visible in Ahmedabad city, and due to this, the contribution of the police in other important tasks can increase, which can reduce police stress.
Even diplomats from Riyadh have shown interest in the project which combines smart policing, security, and alertness with artificial intelligence. They have received detailed information about the project during their visit to Ahmedabad and are planning how this initiative can be implemented in Riyadh. The Ahmedabad model is being considered for replication in other countries as well. This project is the first of its kind in India and is considered the most significant project of the Nirbhaya project. If implemented in Delhi, it will involve the use of surveillance camera footage, but its analysis and other details will be subject to limitations, unlike the comprehensive arrangement being planned in Ahmedabad.
