Bhubaneswar:

Odisha police

on Sunday said that

AI-powered CCTV cameras

with

facial recognition

capabilities will be installed at the entry and exit points of the capital city. These points currently lack surveillance cameras, hindering crime investigations, police said.
As per the plan, the advanced

surveillance system

will be deployed at key entry/exit locations, including Daya river bridge, Sundarpada-Jatni road near Airfield police station, Patrapada chowk on NH-16, Chandaka Square, Nandankanan-Baranga chowk, Hansapal chowk and Sai Mandira chowk on the Puri bypass route.
A senior police officer told TOI that they have initiated the tender process for selecting an implementation agency. "The system aims to strengthen security through AI-based surveillance, ensuring comprehensive monitoring," the police officer said.
The cameras will incorporate advanced AI features for detecting unwanted objects, tracking movement and analysing video in real-time. The facial recognition system will monitor unauthorised individuals at the entry-exit points, sending immediate alerts to the unified command centre (UCC). The system will be integrated with the UCC at police commissionerate headquarters, providing real-time alerts and notifications on the dashboard for swift action by field officers.

Bhubaneswar has around 1,800 CCTV cameras installed by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and police. With urban expansion, the number is insufficient for crime prevention and investigation, police sources said.
Officials indicated a requirement of 5,000 cameras for comprehensive city coverage. Present coverage is below 30% at primary locations. Additional cameras are needed on major roads, highways, slums and key junctions, police sources said.
In Aug 2023, police authorities requested commercial establishments and local communities to provide access to their CCTV networks. They urged shopping centres, markets, jewellers, banks and housing societies to install cameras and share IP links.
In Sept 2019, the police sought the assistance of the Confederation of Indian Industry for CCTV installation in the city.
Police said many people in the city installed cameras below 4 MP, making it difficult for the police to identify faces of the suspects during investigation of some street crimes. "We also found many cameras at wrong positions. It is good to see people spending money on CCTV cameras for their safety. Unless they get professional guidance, their investment in safety will turn futile," an inspector said.
He said CCTV cameras with video analytics and facial recognition systems are the need of the hour. "If we have video analytics and face recognition software, we do not need to check all CCTV footage to trace a suspect or accused. The technology will help us detect the suspect or accused and their vehicles on the specific cameras that captured their images," he said.