traffic violations

Bangalore

body-mounted cameras

The RTI reply of July 9 which confirms the purchase of 75 body cameras

violating traffic rules

FROM GROUND ZERO: Bangalore Mirror photographers went around the city looking for cops who were wearing body cams but found none

People caught for traffic violations

Traffic cops are supposed to wear cameras to ensure they don’t abuse power. And 50 of those were bought for Rs 1.5 lakh a piece. But have you ever seen one on a cop?With new traffic rules coming into effect under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment ) Act, and fines forbecoming steep (Rs 10,000/imprisonment for driving under the influence of alcohol), some commuters are crying hoarse over the unfair slapping of fines by the police.While the traffic police are watching you, many citizens believe that the police should also be watched while doing their job, so that there is no abuse of power or scope for corruption.With this in mind, theTraffic Police (BTP) had purchased around 50(body cams) for the traffic police at an estimated cost of Rs 75 lakh, two years ago.These cameras were given to seven traffic police stations - Ashok Nagar, Cubbon Park, High Ground, Shivajinagar, Ulsoor, Upparpet and Wilson Garden. It was proposed that 44 more traffic police stations in the city would also be given body cams.However, motorists allege that body cams are seldom seen on the traffic police now. Back in January 2017, when they were launched with much fanfare when R Hitendra was the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), traffic police inspectors religiously used these cameras at nights, especially on the weekends. But a few months later, the body cams were forgotten and the traffic police went back to their old ways of stopping people who wereWhile the traffic police inspectors claim that some of the cameras are not in working condition, motorists allege that the traffic cops are not willing to use them.“Four body-mounted cameras were given to our police station and a few of them are already out-of-order,’’ says a traffic police inspector, who did not want to be identified.A traffic cop from the Cubbon Park Traffic Police Station said that he was not aware of the body cams.According to reliable sources, a few of the cameras need to be repaired but some traffic inspectors said they don’t use the cameras because there were no higher officials insisting that they use them.“I have come across traffic police verifying vehicle documents in isolated places or far away from CCTV cameras that are fixed at traffic junctions. They want to pocket the money collected from motorists without issuing tickets (receipts) for a traffic violation,’’ says Chandrasekhar Rao, a motorist.Coming down heavily on the rampant corruption among the traffic police, Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union general secretary C Sampath said that most of the traffic inspectors don’t use body cams and let traffic violators go home after collecting a bribe from them.“I came to know about KR Puram traffic police constables taking Rs 150 from one of the members of Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union recently. They demanded Rs 2,000 from him but let him go home after taking whatever he had in his wallet. The autorickshaw driver had to go home with no money in his pocket,” complains Sampath.However, Bangalore East Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), K A Jagadeesh has said that traffic inspectors are using the body cams. “The traffic police inspectors have been directed to use the body-mounted cameras without fail. A few cameras need to be repaired. As of now, I do not have the statistics on the number of out-of-order body cams,” says DCP Jagadeesh.When this reporter brought to his notice that the public allege rampant corruption among traffic police, the DCP said that the Police Commissioner has made it clear that corruption would not be tolerated.