After the Pathankot Airbase Attack: Shopkeepers installed CCTV Cameras outside shutters

In the wake of terror attack on the Pathankot airbase earlier this year, the local police is encouraging shopkeepers to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras not only inside their establishments but also outside their shutters to maintain record of activities on streets.

Sources said director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora has told senior police officials to take help of locals to install CCTV cameras out of their own pockets till funds are released for the purpose.

Senior superintendent of police Rakesh Kaushal said nearly 6,000 cameras have been installed under the drive across the state. “In Pathankot, 520 CCTV cameras have been installed so far, and we plan to take this number to 5,000,” he said.

The SSP said cops are not forcing, but just motivating, the shopkeepers to install the cameras, and they have been giving a positive response.

Border villages to be covered next: SSP

When asked what the police department was doing at its own level, Kaushal said the DGP has assured that funds will be sent to various police stations soon, following which the department will start installing CCTV cameras. He said the funds will help cover the border villages that are most vulnerable and have shopkeepers with less resources and advanced equipment.

“We have prepared a list of places where the CCTV cameras will be installed to provide us live feed. Meanwhile, the CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers will provide us additional footage,” he said.

After the attack on the airbase on the intervening night of January 1 and January 2, the city has been on high alert round the clock. Security agencies are on their toes to avert similar attack in the border district. The Border Security Force (BSF) has already installed high-tech equipment on the international border to prevent infiltration in Bamyal sector, from where the four terrorists who stormed the airbase had sneaked into India from Pakistan.