January 29. 2003
Jonews Reporter
THE number of surveillance cameras monitoring activities in the Joburg Central Business District is to be increased from the present 184 to 360 by the middle of the year.
This announcement was made by Amos Masondo, the executive mayor of the city, at his first media briefing of the year on Wednesday.
CCTV cameras were introduced in the city in 2000 to keep an eye on, and combat criminal activity. Since their introduction, said Fana Moraka, executive director at Business Against Crime Surveillance Technology (BACST), a company that manages the system for the city, the cameras have reduced serious crime in the city centre by 75% and non-serious crime by 90%.
"Serious crime refers to crime that is life-threatening like hijacking and rape. Non-serious crime includes pickpocketing and smash-and-grab," Moraka explained.
Moraka added that many of the suspects apprehended are easily prosecuted because they are literally caught in the act. Images from the cameras are also accepted as evidence in court.
Apart from crime, said the mayor, the cameras have successfully served "to alert city departments to the breakdowns and malfunctions of city infrastructure". The cameras have been used to pick up buildings on fire, refuse pile-ups and drain leakages.
The mayor hailed the programme as an example of "public-private partnership" and vowed that the city will intensify its clamp down on crime.
Members of the metro police and the SA Police Service are stationed at the operations room to monitor criminal activity. Moraka said his company's target is to have the police responding to incidents within 60 seconds, "but in some cases, we pounced on criminals within seconds".
