Security cameras for Swakopmund

Swakopmund might very soon get security cameras in various public spaces to enhance the safety and security of residents as well as visitors. A pilot project in this regard will soon be initiated by the Police Public Relations Committee (PPRC), said the committee’s chairperson Anett Kötting to namib times.

Although the project is still in its infancy the Management Committee (MC) of the Swakopmund Town Council has approved a trial run. “We will put up a few cameras at some spots and after a month hand in a report to the MC,” Kötting said. It is the intention to initially install a few cameras where there is a lot of movement in town, where after the project will be expanded to cover the whole town.
“We have had various meetings and have identified a supplier for the cameras. We have also had a meeting with the Magistrates Office and it was determined that the quality of the footage will be sufficient to be admissible in the Court of Law,” she added. The Police Public Relations Committee has also identified a source of funding for the project. Should the trial run prove successful and Council indeed grants permission to formally launch the project, a safety and security fund will be established. “Residents might then get charged a small amount of N$1 or N$2 on their monthly municipal bill. The money will be used to fund the project and enhance the safety and security of the town,” she said.
Kötting continued saying that it is the intention to keep the project small, but effective. “We do not want it to end up like the City Police (in Windhoek) which costs a lot of money,” she said. The money generated with the fund can also be used for other safety measures. As an example she stated that the money could be used to buy bicycles for police officers to monitor and patrol the streets.