Vasco police recently inspected the trial rooms of tailors and garment stores in Vasco amid concerns of privacy among female customers (Herald March 18). The inspection was to check whether the trial rooms are fitted with any hidden cameras and two way mirrors. In all 35 such tailoring and ready-made garment shops were reportedly inspected in the Port Town. It must be said that this is a very important exercise carried out by the Vasco police and the police in the other cities in the state too need to carry out such a check.
It may also be necessary to carry out such checks for hidden cameras and two-way mirrors in hotel rooms in the state, specially, in the bathroom and the bedroom of economy class hotels. It must be said that many honey-moon couples from other states come to Goa and stay in the hotels. They and all other guests to the hotels should be provided complete privacy. Guidelines should be in place for ready-garment stores as to the places where such hidden cameras and CCTV can be installed to prevent shop-lifting.
Tailoring shops should be prevented from installing CCTV as the chances of shop-lifting incidents taking place there is almost nil. It is not only essential to see where the CCTV is installed, what is equally important is to observe where the camera is directed and the images that these cameras capture. Such CCTV should be nowhere near the changing rooms and trial rooms. The privacy of individuals cannot be compromised in the guise of preventing shop-lifting. Of course there are other ways of preventing shop-lifting without resorting to installing CCTV cameras and hidden cameras in trial rooms. Ready-made garment stores dealing with ladies-wear should be instructed by the authorities concerned to employ only women staff.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
