Vumacam has welcomed the City of Johannesburg’s publication of by-laws governing the use of CCTV in the city as a key step in making the city safer.
The proposed by-laws will support the creation of a database of all registered CCTV cameras being used within residential or private property which may have a view of a public space.
“The City of Johannesburg’s approval of the CCTV by-laws is an important milestone in the development of technology-enabled security in South Africa, and a major achievement by the City of Johannesburg,” according to a statement from Vumacam.
“In line with our ongoing support for effective regulation of surveillance technologies, we believe that clear, easily applicable by-laws can aid the growth of CCTV-based security systems, providing certainty to residents, law enforcement and users.”
The statement adds that, while Vumacam was not privy to the final draft of the by-laws, its submissions as part of the consultation process sought greater clarity from the City on the provisions around access to CCTV footage.
This includes the right of private sector security companies to access data versus those rights for public sector law enforcement agencies.
“We believe effective access to data by all legitimate and authorised parties is key to maintaining the momentum we have already built in the fight against crime.”
Vumacam’s camera systems across the City of Johannesburg and other key regions have been used in the fight against crime, contributing to a month-on-month improvement in crime interception rates and facilitating numerous successful arrests.