Police to have direct access to CCTV camera footage – Rohee
The Guyana Police Force will soon have direct access to the CTV (Close Circuit Television) cameras that have been erected around the city as a crime-fighting measure.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee made this disclosure yesterday, while reviewing the Ministry’s activities for 2013 and outlining its goals for the New Year. Addressing an audience at the Police Officers Training Centre, Rohee said that the Defence Board has approved the establishment of ‘a direct feed’ from the CCTV system to the Headquarters of the Guyana Police Force at Eve Leary. “As an integral member of the Defence Board, the Ministry has constantly supported the view that CCTV cameras in the City be used on a real time `basis to detect and fight crimes”, Rohee said. “In furtherance of this objective, the Defence Board has approved the establishment of a direct feed to the Headquarters of the Guyana Police Force at Eve Leary. “It is the objective of this Ministry to facilitate the Guyana Police Force with additional requirements to ensure that effective crime fighting takes place in service and protection for our people,” he added. Government had promised in 2005 to introduce the CCTV cameras to help counter rampant crime, and had allocated $11M in the 2011 national budget to purchase the equipment. It was revealed that footage gathered will be monitored and archived at the National Intelligence Centre which is being set up in the Castellani compound. But in July, 2013, Deputy Police Commissioner (Law Enforcement) revealed that the police did not have access to footage from the cameras, and could only access the feed from the cameras upon request. This had prompted APNU Parliamentarian and former Police Commissioner Winston Felix to suggest that police at all stations have access to the footage from the cameras. Felix had also questioned the effectiveness of the cameras, while pointing out that the cameras were apparently failing to record the many robberies that were being committed around the city. Several daylight robberies were committed recently in central Georgetown without any suspects being apprehended.