News
Police to expand CCTV traffic offender detection islandwide
View(s):By Sandun Jayawardana
Police are planning to gradually expand using CCTV cameras to identify traffic violations in other parts of the country, in addition to Colombo.
Legal action has been initiated against more than 4000 motorists who were identified as traffic offenders using CCTV cameras installed in Colombo City. The project began on February 1 last year.
Monitoring traffic offences at the Colombo City Traffic Division. Pic by Akila Jayawardena
As of April 20 this year, legal action, including imposing fines and initiating court proceedings, had been taken against 4048 drivers for violating traffic laws, according to police.
The plan to is to eventually use CCTV cameras to identify such traffic violations throughout the country, Police Spokesman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) K.B. Manathunga stated. He acknowledged this will be a massive undertaking.
Commenting on the ongoing operation in Colombo City, the SSP explained that once a traffic violation is identified via CCTV, police can obtain details of the vehicle and its registered owner from the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT). Police then identify the police division where the registered owner resides. Officers from the local police station then visit the homes of the vehicle owners armed with details of the violation committed. They are asked to visit the police station to check footage of the incident. If it is uncovered that someone else was behind the wheel at the time of the incident, legal action is initiated against them.
Sometimes, the registered owner may say that he has sold his vehicle. Police will then check if the owner had informed the DMT of the transfer of ownership of the vehicle within 14 days of sale. If this has not happened, then action will be taken against the vehicle owner as well, the SSP said.
The primary focus of the initiative is to reduce fatal accidents, the police spokesman noted. According to police statistics, 724 fatal accidents were reported from January 1 to April 20 this year, claiming
764 lives.
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