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.
Cornubia Industrial & Business Estate Management Association (CIBEMA) Precinct Manager, Sihle Miya says, “Before CCTV and other types of surveillance, law enforcement would rely solely on eyewitness accounts which weren’t always reliable.”
Part of the CIBEMA’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 and other security providers within the precinct. In addition, the CIBE surveillance system comprises 12 pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras covering the precinct’s public roads and open spaces. A centralised control room is manned 24/7 by two controllers, who are further supported by the dedicated 24/7 reaction and patrol vehicle, also crewed by two armed officers.
PTZ cameras are capable of remote directional and zoom control and can therefore monitor a wide area and direct attention to suspicious activity. Miya says: “The system is a great monitoring tool, overseeing multiple areas at once, something the patrol crew cannot do.” Recently CIBEMA’s CCTV controllers were instrumental in apprehending suspects during an attempted theft of material from a construction site, as well as streetlight theft which has become a scourge in the area. Another involved recovering a bag of stolen goods after the CCTV controllers saw a man hide it in some bushes and run into a neighbouring community.
“Our surveillance system is critical for crime prevention and keeping the area safe so that employees, businesses, property owners and the general public can continue to enjoy the benefits of being in a safe and enabling space, which furthermore gives levels of comfort in property ownership and tenancies within the precinct,” concludes Miya.
