Earl Moxam, Contributor
THE PROMISED Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are now up and running in sections of the Corporate Area as part of the security strategy being employed by the police force to combat crime.
Announced in early 2002 by Dr. Peter Phillips, National Security Minister, the first CCTV cameras were reported to have been installed earlier this month.
Already the first images have reportedly been downloaded, giving the authorities a notion of how effective this additional feature in their crime-fighting arsenal might become.
"It doesn't mean that all the cameras are installed yet but it does mean that they are working and there is clear evidence now for us to say we are watching you," said one security official.
PRIMED TO RESPOND
The cameras are reportedly being monitored round the clock, from a "situation room", with security personnel primed to respond to any untoward incident that might be observed.
The decision to install the multi-million dollar camera system was announced by the National Security Minister early in his tenure. This was in keeping with requests from the business community in downtown Kingston and other built-up areas to improve security in their locale.
Beverly Lopez, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), has welcomed news of the installation of the cameras.
"The activating of the CCTV system is a very welcome situation. We had been promised this installation for some time and the fact that we are realising it now is very helpful," she said.
The programme initially contemplated cameras being installed in downtown Kingston, followed by Half-Way Tree, Montego Bay and Mandeville.
Appeals have since been made for cameras to be installed in Spanish Town as well, as the Old Capital struggles to come to grips with a growing crime problem.
