(Jamaica Gleaner) Calls for increased use of closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) in public spaces locally are growing louder following the use of this technology in Boston, United States (US), last week to track suspects in the ‘marathon bombing’.
With more than 940 serious crimes, including 310 murders, reported across the island since January, Deputy Commissioner of Police Glenmore Hinds is convinced that the figure would be significantly increased if more CCTVs are installed in public spaces.
“It would have a multiplying effect and serve as a deterrent to criminals and also help us with our investigations,” argued Hinds.
He was responding to questions about the lessons for Jamaican law enforcement agencies from their US counterparts who probed the Boston bombing.
Hours after the bloody drama, US investigators used a vast quantity of amateur photos and videos, as well as extensive footage from surveillance cameras, to identify the two suspects implicated in the twin blasts which left three persons dead and more than 170 wounded.
“For a number of years, the Jamaica Constabulary Force has been asking for CCTV to be installed in public spaces. It would help us to review events,” stressed Hinds.
Access to footage
He argued that the cameras could be installed by private entities, with the police having access to the footage.
The senior officer argued that if the CCTVs are installed by individuals or private entities, this could provide a level of transparency as to how the police conduct their investigations.
Hinds indicated that the police have had some successes in areas such as May Pen, Clarendon, and Mandeville in Manchester, where a number of these cameras have already been installed by private entities.
That is a position shared by National Security Minister Peter Bunting.
“CCTV is obviously a very valuable tool for investigators, as well as a deterrent for criminal activities,” Bunting told The Sunday Gleaner.
Pointing to the Boston bombing, Bunting noted that much of the CCTV images and still photographs used by investigators came from private and business cameras and not principally from public infrastructure.
“Even in Jamaica where the police and the National Works Agency have limited CCTV coverage, many cases have been solved with the assistance of footage from local business,” said Bunting, who is encouraging more organisations and individuals to invest in these cameras.
In the meantime, a high-ranking member of the police Criminal Investigation Branch told The Sunday Gleaner that the police could have solved more cases, if cameras were installed in some places and if the footage investigators were allowed to access was of better quality.
“We have seen footage with persons being robbed, or killed, but the quality is poor; we cannot see anything much,” said the cop.
