Team Herald
PANJIM: In a first, Goa Police conducted widespread aerial surveillance of important hotspots during the last week of December, when lakhs of tourists descended for the multi-genre music festival Time Out 72 and New Year celebrations. The department now intends to use the technology for criminal investigations too.
“Goa Police proactively deployed an advanced aerial surveillance solution for the safety and security of domestic and international tourists visiting Goa. This was of paramount importance, keeping in view the rapidly evolving threat scenario for large gatherings of this scale. This solution was deployed round-the-clock for the Timeout 72 Music Festival and New Year’s Eve, 2017. There was a gathering of over two lakh tourists converged at Vagator, Baga, Candolim and Calangute beaches,” Crime Branch SP Kartik Kashyap said in a media statement issued on Wednesday.
True to its reputation in proactive monitoring, he said the department deployed drones equipped with the latest zoom-capable cameras. During the night, special thermal sensing cameras were deployed which were capable of sensing body heat, to monitor dark areas and beaches for the safety of the people.
The officer claimed that deployment on this scale carried out by Goa Police is the first time in the country by any police department. “The primary objective was to monitor any unusual gatherings, fights and/or suspicious activities,” Kashyap added.
Goa Police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) under Kashyap and South SP Arvind Gawas were trained to efficiently utilise the capability of this solution using cutting-edge technology.
“Goa Police are further determined to use this aerial surveillance solution to monitor all future high tourist gathering events and activities. This solution can be used for search and rescue operations besides other criminal investigations,” Kashyap said.
This solution was provided by Bangalore-based startup IIO Technologies Pvt Ltd, under supervision of its founder and CEO Sunny Sharma in association with DJI.
