New eye in the sky

Technicians install a CCTV camera in Dalia Street Scottsville on Thursday July 7.

A CCTV camera was installed in Dahlia Street, Scottsville last week, bringing the number of cameras in Kraaifontein installed by ward allocation budget to three.

“We have in the past put in a request for CCTV cameras but our request was not prioritised, so we took of our ward allocation, clubbed together as a sub-council and made this a sub-council project,” Sub-council 2 chairman Grant Twigg said.

The funding was taken from wards 6, 7 and 111’s ward allocation budgets, according to Mr Twigg, who said they hired less “rent-a-cops”, opting for the cameras instead.

“In the past we allocated money for extra law enforcement officers but we’ve reduced this. We will hire less ‘rent-a-cops’ and put CCTV cameras in instead.”

The cameras make a triangle with one at the entrance to Wallacedene, another on the Peerless Park side of Eikefontein station and the newest one in Dalia Street.

These spots were chosen after councillors visited the control centre in Goodwood, where all the images relay to, and saw how the images can be used to zoom in on criminals faces.

“This is just the initial start,” he said. “ There is more coming in the new financial year. Now we can pick up people coming into the area.”

Mr Twigg said the plan was to install more cameras in Bloekombos, Wallacedene and Scottsdene. The sub-council has also not removed the request for cameras from the capital expenditure budget.

Mr Twigg said the cameras were installed to support the work of police and the neighbourhood watch.

“We are grateful for the police and the neighbourhood watch and this is just to assist and support them and the work that they do.”

Scottsville Neighbourhood Watch chairman Gavin Riddles said the cameras would make residents feel safer.

“This will have a great impact on changing the mindsets of people that Scottsville is better and safer,” he said. “It’s a great help and a good move by the council to do this.

At the recent installation of CCTV cameras in Langa, Mayoral committee member for safety and security; and social services, JP Smith, said CCTV cameras are “an investment in the community’s safety”.

“I’m enthused by the number of ward councillors who have started investing ward allocation funding in safeguarding their communities. The Safety and Security Directorate simply doesn’t have the funding to roll out CCTV cameras at a rate that would satisfy everyone, so the ward allocations are a welcome boost to our efforts,” he said.

Mr Smith said that the Metro Police Department’s Strategic Surveillance Unit (SSU) would also be spending R9.5 million on installations in four areas across the city, including Kraaifontein and Wallacedene.