Pretoria: more anti-crime cameras
Thapelo Sakoana
19 September 2006The City of Tshwane, in partnership with business, will spend about R9-million installing closed-circuit television cameras on the outskirts of Pretoria, increasing the number of cameras in the city and its surroundings from 34 to 68.
Briefing the media on the city's safety plans on Friday, Executive Mayor Gwen Ramokgopa said the new cameras would be up and running in the suburbs of Hatfield, Arcadia, Sunnyside and Marabastad by the end of September.
With reports indicating that car theft is rife in Sunnyside, Brooklyn and Centurion, Ramokgopa said the police were intensifying their operations in these areas.
"We are aware of the displacement nature of crime and we will spread our resources to cover other areas," Ramokgopa said.
Chief of the Tshwane Metro Police, Hlula Msimang, said statistics showed that crime - especially mugging, theft and break-ins - had decreased by between 24% and 80% in Pretoria's inner city since the installation of surveillance cameras.
"One problem is that there have been displacements, with criminals now moving to the outskirts of the central business district and that is why we are now targeting those areas," Msimang said, adding that the city also envisaged installing closed-circuit television cameras in its surrounding townships.
Ramokgopa said the city also planned to introduce stringent by-laws to deal with substance abuse, especially among young people, and to continue working with the police to clamp down on drug dealers in the city.
She said the implementation of these regulations would include drug testing in schools and target areas such as cinemas, stadiums, festivals and taverns.
"The city is already working closely with the departments of education and health," Ramokgopa said. She said the city had trained more than 200 teachers in drug abuse issues, and urged parents to help the government tackle the problem.
Source: BuaNews
