KATHMANDU; Installing Surveillance Cameras (SC) in public places could help curb crime significantly, senior law enforcing officials opined here today.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, Chief District Officer Laxmi Dhakal, Nepal Police Spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma, Metropolitan Commissioner’s Office AIGP Madan Bahadur Khadka and Metropolitan Traffic Police Division —all admitted that the government is dilly-dallying over the installation of security cameras.

Nepal Police (NP) had already sent a requisition order for the budget to install the SCs in public places but said the response from the government was lukewarm.

NP has twice sent official letters to the Ministry of Finance on February 2, 2007 and February 8, 2010 requesting for the budget.

The government has provided I7 CCTV cameras to the Metropolitan Commissioner’s Office but due to load-shedding, none of them are in proper use, Dhakal complained. Even in some critical areas, where jails are located, there are neither cameras nor alternative lightening system in the face of extended load-shedding, he added.

“NP headquarters tells us that they have forwarded the letter to the authority concerned and Ministry of Water Resources says they do not have enough budget”, said Khadka.

“If supermarkets, hotels and their parkings, VIP houses and the like can fit surveillance cameras for their safety, why can’t the government install them for the security of pubic?” Bigyan Raj Sharma, spokesperson, NP, asked. “If such cameras were fitted along the streets, it makes police lot easier to record all incidents and trace criminals,” he argued, adding, “Further, investigation will not consume more time.”

Once installed, these cameras facilitate police personnel to track down criminals at the check points through the SMS, explained Sharma, referring to recent incidents of shoot-out.

MTPD claims, “Not once, but every year, we keep sending letters to the

Ministry of Finance to provide us surveillance cameras but no one is responding

to our plea.

Valley had just about six such cameras in 1989 but were all destroyed during the demonstration. “Now we do not have any,” according to MTPD officials.