Wednesday December 3, 2008
Selangor CPO: More CCTVs needed
By ELAN PERUMAL
SELANGOR police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar has called for the installation of as many close circuit television cameras (CCTV) as possible at strategic locations.
He said there were no doubts that CCTVs would play a role in crime prevention efforts.
Speaking out: Khalid said there were no doubts that CCTV cameras could curb crime Khalid said he had made it clear to both the previous and the present Selangor Government on the need for the CCTV cameras to be fixed at strategic areas.
Khalid said he had informed the state that CCTVs were a vital tool that would act as a deterrent to criminals.
“Look at Kuala Lumpur, there are CCTV cameras covering more than half of its area and they have helped to bring down the crime rate.
“Criminals probably have shifted their operations to Selangor as they find it easier here since not many places are equipped with the cameras,’’ he said in response to the comments made by Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah that there should be more CCTV cameras in the state.
From his observation, Khalid said the previous government showed more interest in installing the cameras than the present government.
Installing CCTVs, he said, seemed not to be a priority of the Pakatan government.
“I strongly feel that such cameras must be fixed at busy cities and towns like Petaling Jaya, Ampang, Subang Jaya and Klang where there is too much commercial activity.
“Besides crime prevention, CCTV cameras can also help to identify the criminals,’’ he said.
Khalid hoped that the state would seriously consider installing the cameras at crime-prone areas in the state.
On March 10, StarMetro had reported that the RM120mil CCTV cameras deal between a private company and the Selangor Govern-ment would be reviewed and, if necessary, terminated.
The company, which was involved in renting out 414 CCTV cameras to all the local authorities in Selangor, had been told to justify the high cost of the installation.
State local government committee chairman Ronnie Liu said a directive had been issued to all 12 local authorities not to proceed with the installation of the remaining CCTV cameras in their areas.
Source:
RSS
