Bhubaneswar: In a move to enhance transparency and accountability at police stations, the Twin City Commissionerate Police on Sunday launched a pilot project equipping officers at the reception desks with body cameras. This initiative aims to monitor and record interactions between police personnel and complainants, providing an additional layer of protection and oversight.
The launch of this project comes in the wake of recent allegations of custodial mistreatment at Bharatpur Police Station, highlighting the need for enhanced monitoring tools. The pilot project has been introduced at select police stations under the Commissionerate.
Additional Commissioner Umashankar Mishra inspected Kharavel Nagar Police Station, one of the stations participating in the pilot, to assess the implementation of this initiative. According to sources, the body cameras are designed to capture both audio and video, allowing officers to document interactions fully. A unique feature of the device is its panic button, which allows the Diary Charge Officer (DCO) or reception personnel to send an alert to senior authorities, including the Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), who can access the live recordings.
The body camera initiative is also strategically timed, with Commissionerate Police wanting to ensure enhanced protocols are in place ahead of the upcoming Director General of Police (DGP) conference scheduled to be held in Bhubaneswar. The body camera initiative is anticipated to play a key role in fostering a more transparent environment, while also safeguarding both police personnel and the public.