Face recognition may be next step for cops in detecting criminals

Kolkata: Kolkata Police has come up with the idea of installing Face Recognition System (FRS) in the CCTV cameras around the city and Kolkata Police Directorate has already started installation work.

The estimated total cost is Rs 38 lakh for the project, which will help the police detect criminals whose information is available in the Kolkata Police database, if they come within the range of the CCTV cameras.

According to sources, senior officials of Kolkata Police have recently been mulling how to detect any antisocial element in a crowded place. While trying to find a way, police came to know about the FRS technology.

After a brief research on the issue, the information was conveyed to the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Anuj Sharma. After the green signal from Sharma, the project took off.

Under the project, Kolkata Police will buy 100 FRS software licenses, which would be installed in 100 existing CCTV cameras. There will also be a server for 100 cameras with the database having 10,000 records.

The software will be installed in the CCTV cameras of Kolkata Police which are installed in crowded places such as Metro stations, malls and theatres. Installation of the system is already underway in places like Burrabazar and Posta.

If a criminal whose details are available with the police comes within the range of CCTV cameras, the software will identify the miscreant and will also send an alert to police control room as well as the mobile phones of senior police officials.

The system will work in real-time, take multiple snaps of the suspects and generate alert. "This system will help us to detect any antisocial element amidst huge gatherings, which would bring down the response time of police," said a senior Kolkata Police official. If the project is found successful, such systems will be installed in more CCTV cameras in future.