AI cameras, safety poles to power Kerala Police’s ‘Nirbhaya Nisha’ night safety initiative for women

The ‘Nirbhaya Nisha’ initiative of the Kerala Police to ensure night-time safety for women will include an integrated surveillance and emergency response framework.

The programme will deploy real-time tracking systems, AI-enabled cameras, and centralised command systems to enhance monitoring and ensure swift intervention for women travelling between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

A defining feature of the project is the installation of ‘safety poles’ linked to control rooms in busy urban corridors and bus stops.

The initiative will bring together multiple existing safety mechanisms under a unified framework. Women in distress can seek help through the police Emergency Response and Support System (ERSS), 112 emergency helpline, SOS feature on the Kerala Police mobile application (Pol-App), district control rooms, highway patrol units, and Pink Patrol vehicles.

S. Ajeetha Begum, Inspector General of Police in charge of the Social Policing Directorate, said 10 additional women police personnel would be attached to city police control rooms specifically for Nirbhaya Nisha operations. The focus of the project will initially be on major towns rather than the entire State.

“If a woman intends to travel during late hours for work, education, medical or personal needs, and feels unsafe, she can contact the control room. Depending on their availability, a Control Room vehicle can be dispatched immediately to assist her and help arrange safer public transport,” the officer explained.

In situations where Control Room workload is high, women can activate the SOS feature on Pol-App or dial 112. The ERSS control room will track the caller’s location real time and enable police teams to respond as soon as vehicles become available.

The safety poles will be equipped with live CCTV cameras and alarm or panic buttons. When activated, the live video feed will be relayed directly to the control room, allowing officers to see, hear, and communicate with the person in distress.

Two models of safety poles have been proposed under corporate social responsibility partnerships: a basic camera-enabled pole activated by pressing the panic button, and a more advanced 360-degree AI-powered camera system that is capable of automatically detecting unusual activity or commotion, and alerting the control room without manual activation. The latter will function similarly to the AI-enabled systems at present used by the Motor Vehicles Department to detect traffic violations.

Various industry bodies have pledged support for the proposed installations in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kochi and Kottayam. Twenty safety poles each are planned in these cities in the initial phase.

In Pathanamthitta district, the rollout will begin in Thiruvalla, while in Thiruvananthapuram rural district, Varkala has been selected for the pilot phase. The initiative will gradually expand based on feasibility and partnerships secured by district police chiefs.