Currently, facial recognition technology is used on a limited basis in Delhi, mainly through mobile vans deployed in the North and North-West districts
The Delhi Police is preparing for a major expansion of its surveillance capabilities, with a plan to move from localised use of facial recognition to a fully centralised, citywide operation starting from June. This development marks a significant shift towards the integration of artificial intelligence into public security infrastructure.
Under the new plan, facial recognition will be accompanied by number plate identification and predictive analytics, aiming to modernise and enhance law enforcement methods. However, the move has sparked concerns regarding the absence of a clear legal framework for the deployment of such technologies, as well as the risks associated with the potential misidentification of individuals.
Currently, facial recognition technology is used on a limited basis in Delhi, mainly through mobile vans deployed in the North and North-West districts. These vans are equipped with Israeli-developed software capable of scanning faces on the streets and flagging suspects in real time. This system will now be scaled up with the establishment of the Integrated Command, Control, Communication and Computer Centre, or C4I — a state-of-the-art facility designed to centralise and exponentially expand the city’s surveillance capabilities.
The C4I, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will serve as the nerve centre for Delhi Police’s AI-driven crime detection efforts. It will be capable of receiving live feeds from 10,000 high-resolution CCTV cameras being installed across the city, along with integrating footage from existing “legacy networks” maintained by municipal bodies, Residents’ Welfare Associations, and the Public Works Department.
The facial recognition software, initially acquired in 2018 to aid in reuniting lost and found children, has since been used in significant law enforcement operations, including investigations into the 2020 North-East Delhi riots and the 2022 Jahangirpuri violence. Facial recognition systems have also been deployed during high-security events such as Republic Day parades, Independence Day celebrations, and the G20 Summit held in Delhi in 2023.
Now, the upcoming C4I system will not only continue to use facial recognition but will also incorporate a host of other AI-powered tools. These include automatic number plate recognition, gunshot detection, crowd density estimation, and the ability to identify individuals who have collapsed or appear to be in distress. The AI models will be capable of analysing real-time footage to detect over 20 faces in crowded environments, even under conditions of partial visibility or deliberate disguise.
Explaining the broader implications of the new system, Apar Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation commented that this represents “a quantum leap in the state’s ability to identify and monitor individuals.” Gupta highlighted the intrusive nature of facial recognition technologies, stating, “Facial recognition is uniquely intrusive: real-time, automated identification at scale, erasing public anonymity.” He further warned that by combining facial recognition with other data streams, authorities could potentially build detailed personal profiles, raising serious privacy concerns.
The C4I centre will house a large data centre and two emergency operations centres, allowing for real-time monitoring of up to 1,000 live CCTV streams simultaneously. These centres will be capable of instantly flagging incidents and crimes to local police stations and district headquarters, significantly improving response times. In support of these operations, the Delhi Police’s newly formed Picture Intelligence Unit (PIU) will manage detailed audit logs and maintain connections with national databases, including the e-Challan system and records from telecom and banking institutions. The PIU will also tag images collected from raids, newspapers, and public submissions to continuously refine the AI’s identification accuracy.
Despite the ambitious scope of the project, officials acknowledge the significant challenges that lie ahead. B.S. Jaiswal, who served as Joint Commissioner (Tech and PI) and has since been appointed Joint CP (Central Range), noted that issues such as poor camera angles, adverse weather conditions, and demographic biases within AI models could impact performance. Moreover, training AI systems with privacy-compliant datasets remains a complex task. Nonetheless, Jaiswal remained optimistic, saying, “Like beat cops learn to spot anomalous situations, our machines will learn too.”
He added that the goal is to achieve facial recognition match times of under five seconds, enabling swift intervention when needed. However, experts caution that without comprehensive legislation governing the use of such technologies, risks such as wrongful identification and potential misuse remain significant concerns.
The Delhi Police’s Israeli software, originally intended for humanitarian purposes, has evolved into a cornerstone of the city’s security strategy. Still, its expanded use underscores the growing tension between the benefits of AI-driven policing and the need to safeguard individual privacy rights.
Authorities argue that enhanced surveillance is necessary in a metropolis as vast and complex as Delhi, which faces challenges ranging from petty theft and traffic violations to large-scale civil unrest. Supporters of the system suggest that predictive analytics could help pre-empt crime by identifying suspicious patterns of behaviour. However, civil liberties advocates stress that mass surveillance without strong legal oversight could erode fundamental rights.
As Delhi moves towards becoming one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world, the rollout of the C4I system will serve as an important test case for balancing public safety with privacy protections in the age of AI. Whether this new surveillance infrastructure can maintain that balance remains to be seen.
The coming months are likely to offer a clearer picture of how facial recognition, predictive analytics, and AI-enhanced policing will reshape public life in the capital. While the Delhi Police’s vision is ambitious, its success will depend as much on building public trust as on technological excellence.
