Traffic cops afraid to use pricey chest-mounted cams

As a pilot project, the Mumbai Traffic Police in July this year introduced chest-mounted cameras for its personnel to record traffic violators as well as their conversations with motorists.

The police acquired two cameras which were given to the Dadar and Worli traffic police divisions, with a plan to buy 100 more. 

However, four months on, the project has found itself on the back-burner and no decision has been taken on the procurement of these cameras.

The chest-mounted cameras can record video footage for almost eight hours and one of its salient features is that the footage cannot be edited as it features details such as a watermark, date and time. According to the police, the cameras are capable of recording both video and audio, and were meant to be used during the altercation or while controlling traffic, which can then be used as evidence.

However, during the project's pilot phase, the department found that the policemen were scared to use the camera as it is very costly. "The cameras are very useful but costly as well. Hence the policemen are afraid of using it.

Earlier, a few e-challan machines were misplaced by policemen and they had to pay for it from their own pocket. This body-mounted camera is worth Rs 1.5 lakh and policemen fear that if it is damaged or lost then they would have to shell out the money from their own pocket," said a police officer from Dadar Traffic police division. He added, "It's proved to be very useful as it could be seen by motorists reduced conflicts. We need more such cameras."