In a remarkable demonstration of the power of surveillance technology in crime prevention, the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) clocked up significant achievements just 100 days into its surveillance project. Leveraging Vumacam SafeCity cameras and cutting-edge technology, the project has already made a substantial impact in combatting criminal activities across the province.

Since its inception in February, the project has yielded impressive results, with the number of interceptions, impounded vehicles and arrests increasing, on average by 10% each month from February to May. The surveillance system has been instrumental in dispatching vehicles to investigate crimes in progress a total of 2056 times, resulting in a remarkable 10.65% intervention rate. The proactive approach has targeted suspects and vehicles involved in a range of criminal activities, including theft, armed robbery, fraud, and public violence.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi expressed his satisfaction with the project's outcomes. "This project's success is extremely encouraging. The capture of individuals engaged in criminal activities such as armed robbery, vehicle hijackings, assault, robbery, and fraud demonstrate the tangible impact of this initiative”, he said. “We commend all those involved in intercepting the criminals detected through this technology."

Michael Varney, Chief Commercial Officer for Vumacam, said: "Ongoing training in the GPG monitoring room has contributed to increased successes week on week. The alerts from Vumacam SafeCity cameras have led to the interception of criminals and vehicles involved in criminal activities, thereby preventing further crimes from occurring.

The successful interceptions are attributed to the collaborative efforts of various law enforcement entities, including the South African Police Service (SAPS), SAPS undercover units, traffic officers, and private security companies.

With this incremental success, and as further training, technology enhancements and agility in collaboration builds, Vumacam believes that the use of its SafeCity network will yield further positive results to turn the tide on crime in areas of operation.