Drones Based Surveillance System on Mumbai Division

Mumbai, 18 Aug 2020: Drone surveillance technology has emerged as an important and cost-effective tool for security surveillance over large areas with limited manpower. Mumbai Division has recently procured two Ninja UAVs for better security and surveillance in railway areas like station premises, railway track sections, yards, workshops, etc. A team of four staff from Modernization Cell of RPF have been trained and obtained licence for flying these drones.

The drone has an operational range of 2 km and fly upto 25 minutes. Its take off weight is upto 2 kg and can capture HD images at 1280×720 pixels during daylight. It also has real time tracking, video streaming and automatic failsafe mode. The drones will be helpful in:

• Inspection of railway assets and ensuring safety of yards, workshops, car sheds etc.
• Surveillance on criminal and anti-social activities in railway premises. It may include gambling, throwing of garbage, hawking etc.
• Analysis of vulnerable sections for safe operations of trains
• Surveillance on disaster site and coordinating with other agencies.
• Mapping of railway asset to assess the encroachments on railway property
• Crowd monitoring during critical situations, during festive seasons etc

Drone beats are designed across the division based on railway asset, sensitivity of area, activity of criminals etc. Drone acts as “EYE IN THE SKY” and monitors the whole area. Any suspicious activity if noticed is intimated to the nearest RPF post of division to apprehend the criminal LIVE. Two such criminals were apprehended on a real time basis one in Wadibunder Yard area and another in Kalamboli yard while they were trying to commit theft inside railway coach/wagon stationed in the yard.