CCTV at police stations

THE Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered that interrogation rooms would also be covered by the Supreme Court’s directions on installing CCTV cameras in police stations. Such e-surveillance can help in checking whether extrajudicial methods are being adopted during the interrogation of the accused, thereby reducing the possibility of custodial torture. The apex court had earlier slammed the Central and state governments for their lackadaisical approach towards installing CCTV cameras not only in police stations but also in the offices of investigative agencies. The states have demanded a budgetary allocation and a liberal time-frame for executing the project.

While installing CCTV cameras in police stations may be deemed a right step, it points to the failure of the system to ensure the due process of law by which the grievances of an aggrieved citizen can be redressed in the normal course. Police stations are not similar in terms of facilities; in remote areas, they are even bereft of basic amenities. Will the CCTV cameras help in alleviating the distress of those detained in lockups? And will senior officers find time to routinely scrutinise the footage and take action against the violators?

Police excesses often go unpunished due to loopholes in the legal system and the inability of the victims to provide clinching evidence. The police have been imposing fines for traffic rule violations on the basis of CCTV footage. Extending the technology to their own ambit of functioning will require extraordinary integrity. Keeping a watch through CCTV cameras should have a deterrent effect and not be intrusive. The police force needs to be sensitised regarding misuse of powers and overreach. Interrogation under CCTV surveillance should be accompanied by greater stress on forensic sciences in collection, storage and interpretation of evidence.