IPOH (Thestar) - Ipoh City Council is putting up 38 more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to watch over the city as part of its crime prevention initiatives.
These cameras will be installed by end of the year and another 38 will be put up next year.
Perak Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the camera surveillance system was part of the state government’s on-going crime prevention programme.
“The surveillance system had been found to be effective in reducing the city crime rate,” he said.
Clear images: Arif (centre) explaining to Dr Mah (left) the locations of the CCTVs installed in Ipoh inside the control room.
Dr Mah said the government decided to boost the number of the surveillance cameras in the city after they found the first batch of the 24 CCTVs installed five months ago had helped them in fighting crime.
“The local council had helped the police, National Anti-Drug Agency and State Religious Department solved 31 crime related cases.
“The installation of the CCTV cameras had paid off. It is an effective way to keep an eye on crime.
“It has assisted the local council in reducing the crime rate at the vicinity where the cameras were installed. Aside from assisting the police, the video footages taken from the CCTVs had also helped to curb immoral activities, illegal hawkers, illegal parking attendants and vandalism,” he added.
Perak police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan said the surveillance system had helped them bring down the crime rate in Ipoh city.
“The CCTVs provide 24-hour live-feed to the council’s enforcement office and also to the Ipoh district police headquarters,” he said.
By the end of 2012, Dr Mah said the city would have 100 CCTVs installed in and around Ipoh.
The Housing and Local Government Ministry paid RM2.7mil for the first batch of CCTVs.
The cost of the other 76 CCTVs will be borne by the local council. It will cost between RM2,500 and RM3,000 to install each.
Dr Mah said the government had decided to invest in putting up the CCTVs to ensure Ipoh is a safe city to live in.
The public, however, has mixed feelings about the effectiveness of the CCTVs.
Kinta Heights resident Hari Singh, 64, said the CCTV installed at the council flat had not done much to reduce petty thefts and motorcycle thefts.
Instead, he said, they have to hire guards to watch over their flat.
Another resident, who declined to be named, said although the CCTVs had helped the flat dwellers to behave, it does not completely stop them from throwing rubbish from their units.
He added unscrupulous flat dwellers would throw rubbish down from an angle that cannot be captured by the CCTV.
Cafe manager Andrew Chin said he had no idea there was a CCTV fixed near his workplace which is in front of Ipoh Padang on Jalan Sultan Yussuf
However, he noticed there had been a significant decrease of couples using the field at night as their love nest.
A 75-year-old jogger who only wanted to be known as Leong said there has also been a decrease in cars being broken into at the Sultan Abdul Aziz recreational park or better known as Polo Ground since the CCTVs were installed.
Kacang putih seller R. Chandran, 54, felt the surveillance cameras had played a significant role in reducing the crime rate at the park.
“There are less robberies, mugging and vehicle break-ins now. I think the criminals are wary and had avoided the park as they knew the area are being watched,” he said.
