Since we introduced the CCID’s CCTV unit in the summer 2015-16 issue of City Views, the organisation has increased its number of mobile cameras from four to nine. It has also invested in a state-of-the-art digital evidence management system.
The cameras allow the CCID to record operations, stop and searches, and the seizing of evidence so that it has proof of compliance to legislation, and public safety officers (PSOs) equipped with them have been deployed to “hotspot” areas to capture footage of suspected drug dealers and pickpockets.
According to CCID Safety & Security manager Mo Hendricks, the cameras have proved to be an effective tool in changing behaviour on the streets – that of the CCID members and those they address. “We used to receive reports about items going missing, wrongful arrests and use of force by our PSOs. This was always difficult to investigate as it boiled down to a ‘he said, she said’ scenario. Now, with the CCTV footage, we are able to determine with certainty who is at fault and have been able to exonerate our PSOs when applicable.”
The goal is to eventually equip every PSO with a body-worn camera, in a process to be rolled out over several years.
This article first appeared in the autumn 2016 issue of City Views. Read it online.
(Pictured above front to back) PSOs Mzuvukile Siyazi, Brendon Booysen, Msimelelo Mgolombane and Zipho Nqata