The eThekwini Municipality announced this week that they have started fixing defective surveillance cameras and have also increased the number of visible police officers deployed to all crime hotspots.
Spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, Gugu Sisilana said the municipality is forging ahead with its plan to fix defective outdoor surveillance cameras and has budgeted R110 million for the camera project.
She said the city’s CCTV cameras operate on power and fibre. The cameras became defective after some of the fibre cables were washed away during last year’s floods.
The Head of Disaster Management, Vincent Ngubane recently presented a detailed plan of action to fix the cameras before the Safety and Security Services Committee.
“A letter of award for CCTV cameras was signed on July 14 and part of this contract includes fibre installation, maintenance and repairs. The contractor is already on the ground, and we anticipate that all our cameras will be up and running by the end of November in time for the festive season,” said Ms Sisilana.
She said while the project of repairing the fibre is already under way, the City has also increased the number of visible law enforcement officers deployed to all crime hotspots. This includes township areas which have police stations.
“Police work closely with other law enforcement agencies in ensuring that our residents are safe. We also have beach patrol and law enforcement along popular tourist areas such as our beaches and hotels. We also have rangers at parks who ensure that the safety of our residents and visitors goes beyond just the bustling city centre. This is in addition to our security management officers. We are currently in the process of recruiting more Metro Police officers with the aim of ensuring that our city is crime-free,” said Ms Sisilana.
While security cameras are a deterrent, Ms Sisilana said keeping our homes and streets safe is a shared responsibility.
“Criminals are members of our communities and live in our homes. Stolen goods are sold to and bought by our neighbours. Hence, the City encourages communities to work together to end the scourge of crime. There will never be enough security cameras and police if we, as communities, continue to hide criminals in our homes and backyards. Crime statistics reveal that in most cases, criminals such as rapists are known to their victims. Our streets will only be safe from criminals when we all rise up and stop hiding rapists and murderers in our homes,” said Ms Sisilana.