Police are monitoring at least 120 Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras set up in and on the outskirts of the city and their use has been successful in identifying and charging traffic violators, Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine disclosed on Friday.
The installation of the cameras was done under the previous administration and no information had been given of recent as to how many cameras were operating. The last count given by former Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon was approximately 130.
Ramnarine told reporters that of the “120 plus cameras that are being monitored at the CCTV domain at CID Headquarters” 975 violations were observed. This is for the period January 1 to September 24.
He said that of this number 947 relates to traffic offences of which 758 were put on discs and 253 were made into cases.
Based on what this newspaper was told previously, the existing CCTV cameras are monitored by staff attached to the Central Intelligence Unit (CIU), which is located in the compound of Castellani House. The police began receiving a live feed from the unit. It is unclear who heads of the unit, which falls under the control of the Ministry of the Presidency. Information on its workings and staff complement has been top secret.
There have also been questions about the quality of the images captured by the cameras. Several years ago a young policeman was shot and killed on Avenue of the Republic. Although a camera was there, it did not pick up anything useful.
Ramjattan had informed the National Assembly that under Phase Two of the Citizen Security Programme (CSP), government has formulated an “emergency smart street/safe city proposal” that will see the installation of over 100 more CCTV cameras in and around the city, where over 50% of crimes are committed.
Additionally, he said the proposal also includes the construction of a command centre, where the footage would be monitored throughout the day. This command centre where all the cameras will be linked will be separate from the CIU.
