Role of Closed-Circuit Television Surveillance in Maintaining Law and Order in Rural Areas

Abstract

In the past, closed circuit television systems (CCTVs) were used primarily for private spaces like banks or shopping centers to deter crime. The past three decades have seen increased use of it to improve public safety and prevent crime in many areas, such as parks, transit hubs, and shopping areas. Nowadays, virtually every major city in the world has installed an extensive system of CCTV cameras that are linked to control rooms with video monitors for monitoring public spaces for preventing criminal activity and raising public safety perceptions. In recent years, both hardware and software in this field have advanced exponentially, with facial recognition and license plate recognition capabilities becoming standards in the industry. Also in India and other countries, there are state-of-the-art CCTV systems that use thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to aid in anticipating certain crimes (such as robberies and assaults) before they happen. The aim of this study is to find out the role of CCTV surveillance in rural areas in maintaining law and order and its impact in controlling crime in rural areas. The study will also cover the privacy issues that arise from the use of CCTV. This study used a descriptive research design. Data were collected from 200 villagers selected on the basis of simple random sampling (probability sampling) in the rural area of Balasore through a questionnaire. From the collected data, findings were calculated using statistical tools.