WINDHOEK - Crime can be prevented with the use of modern technology and the closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) are just the best way to go, revealed City police Senior Superintendent Gerry Shikesho.
He said gone are those days when police had to recruit 100 police officers and with scarcity of resources, they can have few cameras at strategic areas with less manpower, which is cheaper, compared to conventional methods.
Without giving exact figures of criminals arrested through usage of CCTV, Shikesho said many thugs have been arrested because of surveillance cameras that has been very helpful, adding these security equipment are a deterrent and monitors what is happening.
Shikesho said they have officers monitoring the CCTV cameras 24 hours and once they observe criminal activities, they immediately dispatch officers on the ground to the scene. “In many cases, criminals were caught red handed. And if they are not caught, they are profiled and this especially in street robberies has been effective. With the security cameras you can zoom in to recognise the face, go on the profiling list, identify and arrest these criminals,” he added.
Shikesho made these remarks during the donation of two CCTV cameras worth N$ 26 000 by Dorado Park neighbourhood watch DPNW.
City Police will install the cameras on behalf on DPNW and monitor it for now while they acquire a licence from CRAN.
“So we don’t have the resources to cover the whole City of Windhoek, but if we have supplement cameras then obviously, we will make a difference and make the City the safest place in Africa,” remarked Shikesho.
He emphasised the importance of working together with the neighbourhoods watch because crime prevention is not only the function of the police as they cannot be everywhere every time.
Shikesho said once you place a camera at an identified spot, which is prone to crime activities, you will see migration of crime.
City Police has about 100 cameras around the City and they are busy with the second phase where they are going to install more cameras and be guided by their statistics.
According to DPNW chairperson Cosmos Auckumeb, residents raised the money and bought the cameras themselves. Auckumeb said they wanted to get a licence from CRAN but it would have taken up to six months hence they approached City police because they are already established.
The third camera will be purchased within the next three months.