Gandhinagar, 26 September (HS): Gujarat Police has launched an initiative to expand the CCTV surveillance network across the state with greater participation from citizens, residential societies and traders' associations.

State Police Chief Gyanendra Singh Malik has directed all city police commissioners and district superintendents of police to coordinate with local residents and commercial establishments to strengthen CCTV coverage around residential, commercial and public areas.

The initiative follows the experience of Ahmedabad, where more than 24,000 CCTV cameras were installed between 2024 and 2026 with voluntary support from citizens, traders and various associations. According to police, the network helped in preventing and detecting crimes and improving investigation.

More than 3.88 lakh privately owned CCTV cameras are currently operational across Gujarat. Police, however, said many of these cameras cover only individual premises, leaving gaps on public roads, parking areas and entry and exit points of residential societies.

Under the new initiative, residents and commercial establishments have been urged to ensure that CCTV cameras cover nearby roads, parking areas and important movement points in addition to their own premises.

Police have also advised the use of night-vision cameras, modern cameras with a resolution of at least four megapixels and adequate storage capacity to ensure usable footage.

The Inspector General of Police, Law and Order, has been appointed as the nodal officer for coordinating the public-awareness campaign.

Police said the initiative is aimed at building a wider and better-connected surveillance network to help track suspects, reconstruct movements and respond more effectively to incidents. Citizens have been encouraged to voluntarily strengthen security arrangements in their localities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar