Surveillance systems are crucial to enhancing safety in the public realm. Not only do they act as a crime deterrent, recordings are pivotal in aiding prosecutors and law enforcement identify, arrest and prosecute criminals.
Bridge City Management Association (BCMA) Precinct Manager Nwabisa Mkhize says, “Before CCTV and other types of surveillance, law enforcement would rely solely on eye witness accounts which weren’t always reliable.”
Part of the BCMA’s mandate is to improve the safety of its designated area in a bid to enhance the quality of life for those who use the area and maintain confidence for those who’ve invested in the area. The MA’s proactive security approach includes partnering with the SAPS, eThekwini Municipality Protection Services and local community safety forums. In addition, it also comprises of a large surveillance footprint which monitors the entire precinct through the use of 13 pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, manned 24/7 by two controllers in a centralised control room.
PTZ cameras are capable of remote directional and zoom control and can therefore monitor a wide area and direct attention to suspicious activity. Mkhize says: “Our CCTV system has proven effective in proactive and reactive crime control, with controllers detecting incidents as they happen and dispatching the dedicated 24/7 reaction vehicle and its armed officers accordingly, often preventing the incident altogether. Our footage also assists detectives working on cases that take place within the node.”
Bridge City CCTV controllers have already detected 10 incidents between January and June this year ranging from prevention of illegal dumping, reporting of a fire, motor vehicle accidents, arrest for theft out of a motor vehicle, and assistance to members of the public requiring medical assistance.
“Our surveillance system is critical not only for crime prevention and keeping the area safe, but also for reporting and attendance to non-criminal incidents, so that shoppers, businesses, property owners and the general public can continue to enjoy the benefits of this important commercial and social node,” concludes Mkhize.
