CCTV SURVEILLENCE

ST FRANCIS BAY

A Community Police Forum sub-committee held on 13 August 2010 agreed to the following recommendations with respect to the provision of CCTV surveillance in St Francis Bay as an added measure to combat the rising incidence of crime in the area.

a. Simon Edwards owner of Calibre Security will provide the initial funding for a system of suitable fixed cameras under the auspices of a separate company structure, “St Francis Surveillance”, to the tune of R280 000 coupled to a defined pilot operation time period.

The initial camera deployment will be limited to critical areas with further growth as and when more finances become available. (Will be expanded over a 5 year period).

Residents would be requested to contribute R75 per month ( R850 pa ) to “St Francis Surveillance” to commission the pilot scheme and ongoing expansion of the system over the next 5 years.

Once the system is operational other entities such as Business against Crime and various Insurance Companies will be approached to make a contribution towards the scheme with the intention of making it more affordable for each resident.

The system adopted will be supplied by Afrisec Strategic Solutions who were instrumental for the total CCTV coverage and security support for the soccer stadium in Port Elizabeth during the recent world cup games. They come highly recommended and will also be responsible for the maintenance of the cameras, training of personnel and general planning with regards to future development of the system.

The initial pilot scheme will comprise 2 PTZ cameras with infrared capability, an operations room with trained operators and dedicated monitoring equipment. The emphasis will be on the monitoring of the main access routes into and out of St Francis Bay with other support cameras sighted in the Sea Vista/Industrial areas. The SAPS will be fully involved and be part of the operational system.
The advantages can be shortly summed up as follows:

A massive cost saving as opposed to manned patrols, i.e. (SAPS, Neighbourhood Watch, and Security Companies supplying guards etc.)
Pro-active crime combating both day and night.

Activity and incident record, and all evidence accepted in court proceedings. Infrared/Thermal capability provides for the effective monitoring of open wooded areas and under poor visibility conditions. Dedicated security reaction to incidents, thus lessening of wasted effort.

Your response, in principle, to the request for R75 per month or R850 p.a per Rate Payer to launch this program is required. A favourable reaction will ensure a distinct improvement in policing and in the fight against crime.