The 38% decrease in property crime for Brackenfell in the third financial quarter of 2021/’22 can mostly be attributed to an extensive roll-out of CCTV cameras in the suburb over the last year.
So says Charl du Toit, managing director of SJC Security Services.
According to Du Preez some 260 CCTV cameras were installed in the northern suburbs of Brackenfell, Kuils River, Kraaifontein and Durbanville as part of the Northern Suburbs Camera Initiative (NSCI).
In Brackenfell about 150 cameras were added to the existing network, he says.
Vredekloof, Vredekloof Heights, Morgenster, Morgenster Heights, Bracken Heights, Ferndale, Protea Heights and Protea Village are now under around the clock camera surveillance. “The cameras installed in suburban streets are connected to fibre via the Buzybuy network which in turn is connected to security control rooms where the cameras are monitored,” he explains.
This allows private security firms to work pro-actively rather than reactively, exponentially supplementing the police service in terms of crime prevention.
“When the cameras pick up suspected activities or persons in a neighbourhood our special tactical team goes out to the area to check and monitor the situation.”
The tactical task team’s main focus is on home burglaries and theft out of and of motor vehicles. “Artificial intelligence has allowed us to better patrol the areas which has resulted in more arrests when criminals are caught in the act. Much crime is prevented in this manner, as can be seen in the latest crime statistics” he says.
Managing director at Bolt Risk Management Phillip van Zijl agrees that the private camera initiatives in Brackenfell have played a decisive role in the reduction of property crime.
“Industrial areas such as Okavango Park and Brackenfell industrial areas are covered by intelligent Black Screen camera monitoring which is activated by the movement of humans and vehicles during the night hours. It allows us to be proactive. The cameras are connected to the control rooms that then asses the situation upon which reaction teams respond. Suspicious persons are confronted before crime can be committed,” he says.
