Changing technologies, consumer perspective and the integration of security systems have greatly influenced and shaped the South African security systems and services market. The current trend is towards improved mobile surveillance and body-worn solutions.
Mobile NVRs and cameras that can be installed on any vehicle type, turning ordinary cars into a powerful fleet of mobile surveillance units are already on the market from companies such as KEDACOM. In the guarding space, the advent of solely manual observations is also fast becoming outdated. The body-worn camera adds another surveillance layer for even better communication and decision making between the field and the control room.
Companies such as KEDACOM are taking the lead in versatile moving surveillance and body-worn camera technologies and their footprint is rapidly growing across the globe.
A recent example of a successful installation of the mobile surveillance solution is the Jordan Police. The Jordan Police body-worn project was initiated at the Jordan Police Headquarter in early 2017. The Directorate of Public Security successfully released the first phase of a country-wide body-worn camera project headed by Eye to Eye Security and partners.
The initial project comprised 500 cameras, 12 docking stations and a tailor-made central monitoring solution to receive high-definition video, audio and the location of the officers via LTE/4G cellular networks, as well as a central storage facility. The cameras of choice were the ICASA-approved KEDACOM range of body-worn cameras because they are ruggedised, small and support constant recording. The electronic eyes are placed on the chests or shoulders of policemen who deal directly with citizens.
The directorate said in a statement that the aim of these cameras, among other things, is to “measure the extent to which police officers comply with instructions issued by them or apply what they have learned and trained for in dealing with citizens”.
In South Africa, the overall aims and objectives may differ, but the intended outcome is the same; useful feedback from the field to better deal with the public, reduce intrusions through visible policing and a safer society.
The global trend towards the body-worn camera as an addition to mobile surveillance systems is clear. There are significant benefits for first responders and police, who obtain a second set of eyes and improved assistance from control rooms. If world trends are anything to go by, body-worn cameras give early adopters the clear advantage.
For more information, contact Forbatt SA, +27 (0)11 469 3598, [email protected], www.forbatt.co.
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