Just two weeks after announcing a landmark partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), Vumacam says it is already making impact in the fight against crime in the country’s economic heartland.
The partnership sees the GPG benefit from Vumacam’s extensive camera network and advanced crime-fighting technologies, giving it immediate access to an expansive network of over 6 000 cameras in Gauteng and access to partner cameras nationwide.
“The power of our technology allows our partners in the public and private sector to maximise their crime fighting resources,” says Michael Varney, chief commercial officer at Vumacam. “By putting the right people in the right place at the right time, the partnership with GPG is a further demonstration of the very tangible benefits of smart technology to protect all South Africans.
“We will continue to build on the collaboration between the private and public sector through technology, and continue to invest in the growth of our infrastructure and platform,” Varney adds. “We are already demonstrating how we can work together to help Gauteng, and South Africa, become a safer place through the power of video and technology. As a clear example of the power of collaboration between municipal, provincial, national, and private law enforcement the partnership has seen incredible successes in just two weeks since its creation.”
Vumacam’s systems, which watch for criminal activity via License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras and cameras monitoring for potentially criminal behaviour via algorithms, are the backbone of the monitoring component. They support key private security companies and public sector partners like GPG, offering the ability to investigate and analyse footage where criminal events have taken place and provide critical response resources.
On 21 February, for example, the GPG control room received an alert of a house robbery taking place in the Mondeor area. The relevant vehicle’s registration number was shared with the team and loaded on to the Vumacam platform. The SAPS highway patrol were dispatched to the last location the camera detected the vehicle in Bruma and the suspects were pursued. Several shots were fired and the suspect’s vehicle then collided with a stationary vehicle on the road. SAPS officers were able to intercept the vehicle with three unlicensed firearms recovered and four suspects arrested.
On 20 February, the Vumacam network helped in four key cases including the recovery of a stolen motorcycle. An alert within the LPR system picked up a stolen motorcycle, enabling SAPS Moffatview to be dispatched and resolve the problem.
On the same day, a stolen BigBoy motorcycle alerted the Proof 360 platform in line with the case number attached to the vehicle. This enabled SAPS Moffatview to discover the driver was using the registration of a stolen bike which did not match the VIN number – and the driver was instructed to replace the registration.
In the third incident, an LPR alert was received of a black Chery motor vehicle sought following a theft. SAPS Sandton intercepted the vehicle with one occupant inside and the vehicle was escorted to the station where it tested positive on the SAPS system.
Also on 20 February, the AA sought a Toyota Corolla in connection with a fraud case. Following an LPR hit, SAPS Parkview and 24/7 Security were dispatched and intercepted the vehicle. Booysens SAPS requested the vehicle be brought to the station, leading to the driver’s arrest and the vehicle being impounded.