Ambitious high-tech camera program launched
You are being closely watched is what the police are probably trying to say to motorists as the authorities recently launched an ambitious high-tech camera program to grab errant motorists in the Metropolis and the surrounding areas.
According to police the bulk of the most undisciplined motorists travel on the roads of the Metropolis many of them giving a damn for traffic and road regulations and other road users while the traffic police officers on the streets have been pushed to the wall in attempting to curb the menace.
And so now the Police Department in desperation have turned to high-technology to help them out in their task and towards this end they have appealed to the general public, motorists in particular to cooperate.
This a common practice in many foreign nations both developed and otherwise and it has worked, at least to some extent.
Crucial locations
For starters the police have installed some 108 cameras at 33 crucial locations in the city where the movement of traffic is heavy and motorists more undisciplined, says the Police Traffic Chief Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Indika Hapugoda told the Sunday Observer.
Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa
He said the program that began on January 22 was a pilot project that will remain that way until the end of this month and then later switch on to a more serious course where offenders will be booked and fined.
“Prior to the end of the pilot project offenders will be warned and advised on the traffic and road regulations and to date some 250 such errant have been recorded on our systems manned at the Police Command Centre in Colombo.
This is only the beginning and it is hoped that the program will be carried out into the other areas as well at the very earliest particularly in the Western Province covering areas from the Gampaha district to Kalutara and beyond.
The stationery cameras will also be supported by police mobile CCTV patrols and if necessary more related equipment will be added to the existing technology’, DIG Hapugoda said.
He said the camera network is linked with every police station in the country and also with office of the Commissioner of motor traffic where offenders could be easily identified by their vehicle registration numbers and they would be subsequently summoned and fined after they are shown the video evidence related to the offence.
“This a great piece of technology that was highly needed for the Police Department and we are all glad it is now a reality and therefore it will be used to the maximum strictly within a legal frame work with no room for abuse of any kind, DIG Hapugoda added.
Police officers
Meanwhile the traffic police officers on the street have also been strictly warned against relaxing now that the cameras have come into operation.
“We need the men as well as the cameras for a job to be well done simple because at the end of the day it takes two to tango”, Police Spokesman, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nihal Thalduwa said.
At present an estimated 450 private vehicles are known to enter and leave the city on a daily basis and it has been established that the majority of the offenders are private passenger buses, three wheel taxis, motorcycles and even luxury vehicles.
“Illegal lane switching and stop-line driving offences were the highest number of violations that were captured by CCTV cameras among various other traffic offences on day one of the program.
The project initiated Public Security Minister Tiran Alles together with Motor Traffic Department Commissioner General Nishantha Anurudda and Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.
Minister Alles said that he intends to broaden this program to function throughout the entire country in the near future without limiting it only to Colombo, to reduce road traffic violations occurring in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile the traffic police officers on the street have also been strictly warned against relaxing now that the cameras have come into operation. “We need the men as well as the cameras for a job to be well done simple because at the end of the day it takes two to tango”, Police Spokesman, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nihal Thalduwa said
