Bhubaneswar, May 7: Closed-circuit television cameras will be installed at four police stations here as part of a process to create transparency and more accountability among the cops.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Nitinjeet Singh said the cameras would be installed by May 9. In the first phase, cameras will be mounted at police stations at Kharavela Nagar, Mahila, Chandrasekharpur and Capital, apart from the DCP’s office near Vani Vihar Square.

“Four cameras will be installed in each police station. These will be fixed at the entrance and exit gates and working halls,” said Singh.

Six cameras will be installed at the DCP’s office. The first phase of the project would cost around Rs 10 lakh, and the company providing the cameras would take care of the installation as well.

However, many cops are unhappy over the move. “It seems as if our senior officers do not have faith in us and they think we indulge in wrong practices. Those, who do wrong things, can do that anywhere and beyond the range of the cameras,” said an officer of Capital police station. Some staff members also criticised this system, saying that they would not feel good to work under the constant gaze of an instrument, as the footage could be used against them even for minor mistakes.

“We cannot even shout at criminals, who often create a scene at the police station, as these will be recorded. This will put us under tremendous pressure,” said another staff member of Kharavela Nagar police station.

The cameras will capture movements of everyone visiting the police stations, working of the employees and their interaction with people.

The footage will be stored, and the DCP and other higher-ups will check them. Action will be taken against those found guilty.

“Complaints of misbehaviour with the public or other controversial activities at the police station can be addressed with the help of the footage,” said a senior police officer.

Two custodial death cases last year in Saheed Nagar and Mancheswar police stations had put the police in a fix. This project will certainly help them in case such instances arise again.

The police have also purchased six high-resolution CCTV cameras to be installed at strategic locations across the city during law and order situations. Earlier, they used to rent the cameras from a private farm.

“We have purchased the cameras and ordered for 10 more. Once these are installed, we won’t have to depend on newspaper cuttings to find out the guilty,” said the DCP.

Though the government had planned to install CCTV cameras at strategic locations in the city to check traffic rule violations and other crimes, the project is still in its initial stages. The Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation has been bestowed with this project.