Working towards making Bengaluru a safe city, the State government will install CCTV cameras on every road to check and curb crime rate, said Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday.

Speaking at a programme organised by Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi in association with the Department of Information and Public Relations and a few other organisations to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, the Chief Minister said the government was ready to spend any amount of funds to ensure surveillance on every road.

The cameras will help the police crack down on crimes, especially cases of chain snatching, drug menace and disturbance by anti-social elements.“We have posted efficient officials, who are doing their best to maintain law and order. CCTV cameras will be installed on every road even if it costs crores of rupees to do so. We will take all measures to implement this at the earliest,” he added.

Senior police officials have welcomed the decision and underscored the importance of a good network of surveillance cameras backed by trained staff.

“CCTVs will not only act as a deterrent but also help us solve crimes faster,” a police officer said.

Police officers say that for the most part they rely on CCTVs installed by private owners as well the traffic enforcement cameras to solve crimes. “Over 90% of criminal cases including the murder of Gauri Lankesh have been cracked with the help of CCTVs, installed by private people,” an officer, who is part of a Special Investigation Team, said.

Usually crime prone areas are not under surveillance. In areas where CCTV cameras are installed, like the airport, railway stations and ATMs, there are fewer anti-social activities, another officer added.