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 | Wednesday, April 12, 2000, updated at 10:00(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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Anti-Crime Surveillance Network Launched in JohannesburgA closed circuit television system aimed at fighting crime was officially launched in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday.The project, initiated by Business Against Crime, the Johannesburg Surveillance Unit, the Gauteng government, the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council and the police, aims to slash crime in the Johannesburg area by more than 80 percent. Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said at the launching ceremony that the system marked another milestone in fighting crime and providing adequate security in the Johannesburg area. "This project will further equip police and other law enforcement agencies with a weapon that will enable them to respond rapidly to crime scenes, not only to arrest criminals but also to prevent crime," he said. "I believe if private companies which already have their own cameras installed at their properties could extend their use by linking them up with our operation at the centre, we could cover a wider area," he added. This move, he said, was in addition to other plans the city would be putting in place to enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies, including traffic police, to combat crime. According to Shilowa, 25 million rand (about 380,000 U.S. dollars) would be spent from this year's budget to procure motor vehicles to increase the capacity of traffic police to patrol roads. "Crime is an enemy to our freedom, it is a threat to our peace and a deterrent to efforts of poverty alleviation, economic empowerment, job creation and quality service delivery," he said. He said the cameras would assist the criminal justice system by providing scientific evidence which could be used to convict criminals and are part of the government's overall strategy in the fight against criminals who threaten economic progress. In the first phase of the multi-million rand project, 12 strategically located cameras were installed to cover areas like Park Station between Noord, Jeppe, Klein and Von Brandis streets. The cameras, each having a zooming capacity of up to two kilometers and a swivelling range of 360 degrees, are linked via fibre optic cabling to a control center which operates 24 hours a day from the Carlton Centre basement. The control centre operators can communicate with foot and vehicle patrols of the police to report any crime and provide immediate evidence of the perpetrators involved.
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