The Home Affairs Ministry has begun installing closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) in parts of Georgetown.
A surveillance camera has already been mounted at the junction of Mandela and Homestretch avenues, while there are others at strategic points in the city. The exercise will be continued until Georgetown and boundaries to outlying areas are covered.
The programme is aimed at reducing the recent spur in criminal activities as Guyana prepares for another general election.
Government is hoping that installation of the cameras will boost the security sector’s fight against crime.
In black circle is the CCTV camera currently mounted at the junction of Mandela and Homestretch Avenues
At a press briefing earlier in the year, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, had said that the problem of crime is of “prime importance”. He had added that government anticipated that the presence of the cameras, which will be able to record images and videos and transmit them to a certain headquarters for storage, would have a significant impact on deterring crime.
He further stated that information collected had shown that most crimes are gun-related.
The cameras already installed are not monitoring as yet, as they are all part of a network. They will commence monitoring following completion of the installation process.
The head quarters for the monitoring and storage of the footage gathered will be situated in the building of the National Intelligence Centre. The tower and transmission lines will connect the headquarters to other monitoring stations as well, so that the footage can be easily accessible and serve as a means to prevent crime. For Georgetown, the cameras would extend up to a certain part of the East Coast of Demerara as well as the East Bank of Demerara.
The introduction of CCTV cameras has been in the pipeline since 2008, when government announced that it is offering duty-free concessions to the private sector for the cameras, and promised to play a vital role in ensuring that they are installed in public areas.
The administration has been placing major emphasis on security. This is evident from the large amount of money being allocated to the sector, and the improved performances of the law enforcement agencies.
For 2011 alone, Gy$15.9 billion has been allocated to the public safety and security sector. Recently, there has been a spate of robberies in and around Georgetown, as well as in other areas of the country. Business persons and overseas-based Guyanese are the most common targets. The closed circuit cameras are expected to extend to parts of the East Coast and East Bank Demerara after the urban phase has been completed.
Government had allocated Gy$15 million in the 2011 national budget to purchase the equipment, and recently passed a supplementary provision of Gy$11 million for the same.
