Gov’t signs $140K contract to enhance CCTV surveillance in BVI
A $140,000 contract has been signed to enhance closed-circuit television (CCTV) capabilities across the British Virgin Islands.
Premier Dr D Orlando Smith signed the contract with consultant, Russell Jones, who is the project manager for the next-generation 911 emergency call centre initiative under the Ministry of Health.
A media release from the Office of the Premier and the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force said the enhanced CCTV surveillance system will be installed ‘according to international standards’ and will be able to ‘reasonably withstand the impact of natural hazards’ that may affect the territory.
Premier Smith, in the meantime, said local police have conducted preliminary works to determine key areas for setting up CCTV cameras in addition to those that were destroyed or lost from the hurricanes.
“It is our vision that this new infrastructure and installations should be designed to be resilient, scalable and efficient to adapt to the ever-increasing need of expansion of the CCTV network,” Dr Smith said.
The government, through its release, has said this improved CCTV system is expected to increase public safety by “effectively monitoring human activity in the territory and exercise crowd control”.
“The operation of the system is expected to reduce the fear of crime, the upsurge in criminal activities, entry of wanted criminals into the territory, traffic violations and burglaries; deterring the commission of a crime and aiding the investigation conducted by the police in the event that a crime is committed and for bringing perpetrators to justice,” the release said.
Government had announced back in February that it had plans to improve the territory’s surveillance network as part of its national security plan.
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Seriously that all u all is jokers
I just can’t understand why this Government is still spending money unwisely at this time. The High School should have been a top priority along with the admin complex. All this rent being paid out to greedy building owners could have been implemented to Civil Servants Salaries.
While I agree that the High School is a priority, the rise in crime and those crimes being unsolved is also a priority. Slow motion is better than no motion
Wondering when government is going to seriously study the feasibility and cost effectiveness of placing most to all electricity and CCTV lines and cables under ground.
We as an infrastructure rebuilding territory, and judging from what is being observed in physical and electricity construction, we appear to have learned nothing as we continue to construct fodder for the next powerful hurricane like Irma.
The following may be read as being antiquated: $100.000 could pay for a lot of hand trench digging, though with crippling greed infecting every aspect of life today, i could be wrong..
An important initiative, but the High School should come up higher on the agenda…
Good luck getting paid Mr Jones
People are gonna still get hurt
So you rather update your cameras.. than light the surrounding areas up so the existing cameras can work…
Even the crosswalks needs lighting up, its hard to see when someone is at the side of the road wanting to cross at night