CCTV cameras are failing at an alarming rate: 324 of them went dark within a year of being put up. The Odisha state police are now under scrutiny. This widespread malfunction, impacting nearly every police station in the state, has sparked worries about internal oversight and, crucially, the safety of the public.
Authorities initially deployed CCTV cameras in nearly every police station by March 2025. Yet, within a year, a significant number of these cameras ceased to operate.
As a result, the Central Monitoring System no longer works properly, weakening surveillance across police stations.
Moreover, several reports claim that agencies installed low-quality cameras in the name of modernization. police security concern At the same time, 27 outpost stations also reported non-functional CCTV systems, which further deepened the crisis.
In response, Police Headquarters informed the concerned agencies through official letters and asked them to carry out immediate repairs. Even then, people continue to question how such a large number of cameras failed so quickly. Some believe technical faults caused the issue, while others suspect deliberate negligence.
The Supreme Court had previously instructed the state government and Home Department to have CCTV cameras installed and operational in every police station and outpost by March 31, 2025.
It also ordered authorities to connect these cameras with the Central Monitoring System and Video Management System within the same deadline.
Following this direction, officials implemented the project across 36 police districts. They covered 445 police stations and 295 outposts, and they connected around 85% of stations to the central system. However, at present, 5 police stations remain completely offline.
Meanwhile, the ADG (Law and Order), Odisha, informed the CEO of the Odisha Computer Application Centre about the issue. Agencies like Crystal Integrated Services Limited and Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (KELTRON) handled the installation work.
Notably, this issue gained attention after the September 15, 2024 incident at Bharatpur Police Station, where a military officer and his companion allegedly faced misconduct.
Finally, officials pointed to technical faults, power supply problems, and building shifts as reasons behind the failure. They have now ordered urgent repairs. Still, the bigger question remains — did the system fail on its
police security concern
