Criminals beware – 100 CCTV Cameras for SFB
News from St Francis Property Owners (SFPO) is indeed good news for crime prevention in St Francis Bay. SFPO confirmed last week that a supplier has been agreed on for the installation of approximately 100 CCTV surveillance cameras and that the majority of these should be up and running before the December holiday period begins.
The incidences of reported crimes in St Francis Bay have risen to unprecedented levels in recent months. The St Francis Property Owners Association (SFPO) was approached by the St Francis Community Police Forum for assistance in combatting crime through the installation of a CCTV monitoring system. CCTV camera surveillance has proven to be an effective crime deterrent wherever it has been installed and will provide the SAPS and private security companies with the means to timeously respond to incidences, and possibly prevent crimes from taking place. In addition, CCTV recordings can be used as admissible evidence to secure convictions of criminals. A series of workshops were held by the SFPO where all parties concerned had the opportunity to participate in the planning of the best possible solution for our town. These included the SAPS, the Community Police Forum and Sector Forums, all private security companies, the Neighbourhood Watch, the Disaster Volunteer Group, and The Links.
The project will be funded through the SRA Levy which came into effect for the village and canal property owners on 1st July this year. The equipment will be rented over a period 10 years through Intersec. Renting the equipment will allow us to install the system as soon as possible and will also mean that the system will be maintained and upgraded regularly by the appointed service provider.
The cameras will be installed at the key entry/exit points to St Francis Bay, along our arterial roads and pedestrian routes, and key bridges and intersections linking into residential areas
Our cameras will be linked to a state of the art 24/7 monitoring centre run by Atlas Security with links to SAPS and our private security companies in St Francis Bay.
Congrats on this first major step by SFPO to make a difference to our community. We are now able to see how those SRA levies are put to work for the community. They deserve our support.