eThekwini metro police have a hi-tech crime-busting plan

The metro police of eThekwini are implementing a R300m security plan in targeted phases to clamp down on escalating levels of serious crime, including murders, robberies and hijackings.

Deputy commissioner and head of operations at eThekwini metro police Sbonelo Mchunu said on Wednesday that the procurement for the initial phases of the project will be secured in early February 2023.

He said the strategy and implementation are detailed in a high-level document, “eThekwini Municipality Metro Police Services Smart Policing”.

A pilot project of the four-phase anticrime strategy will kick off in four critical tourist wards in time for the festive season in December. It involves a partnership with the eThekwini municipality, Microsoft and Toyota.

“Our objective is to ensure that criminals are stopped in their tracks well before they commit the crime. We want to make it difficult for criminals and we want to ensure successful prosecutions,” Mchunu said.

Mchunu said the first phase of the project involves the establishment of a command centre — a Modus Operandi Information and Analysis hub — to develop crime trends and counteract criminal activities.

The second phase involves the installation of intelligent cameras with integrated crime-combating features, including facial recognition, which will be relayed to the hub.

“This set-up compensates for the shortage of staffing within the metro police. There are currently 1,800 members on the force and the ideal is 5,000. The plan is to implement a platform that will access all systems and integrate data to prevent crime and repeat offences.”

He said phase three involves a partnership with Toyota in the South Durban Basin. “Here we will demarcate the area with closed-circuit [television] cameras [CCTVs] at a designated command centre. The data of all employees in the basin, many of whom live and work in the area, will be officially captured so that the system will trigger if there are strangers or unknown individuals, [allowing] police to be dispatched to inspect the vehicles and identify the persons,” he added.

Intelligent cameras

The fourth phase encompasses the triangle of Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu. The police stations in the areas feature in the top 30 in the country with the highest crime statistics. “Here we will be assisted by SAPS officers to respond to close-contact crimes including rape, robberies, stabbings and hijackings.”

The metro security plan includes the purchase of a smart policing dispatching platform linked to intelligent cameras. Other purchases include a mobile police station for deployment and visible policing by crime-fighting units at major events.

“Metro police will be armed with body cameras to assist the metro police command centre to track [and] trace and be able to view the officers as they patrol the streets, to improve efficiency and safety. We plan to make use of commercial drones to gain tactical advantage against criminals,” he added.

Mchunu said the aim is to also protect municipal units and workers through the installation of CCTVs. In April two municipal workers were gunned down in separate incidents at their depots.

He said the units will make use of vehicle dash cameras to monitor fleet vehicles for theft or poor driver behaviour and provide accurate information on departmental road car crashes.

Organised business in the city has welcomed the initiative, as have opposition political parties in the municipality, the EFF and DA.

Speaking at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 166th annual gala dinner on Tuesday night, chamber CEO Palesa Phili said the South Durban Basin needs urgent intervention as it is the hub of the manufacturing centre.

“Safety and security of businesses is of critical importance. We need to ensure that the environment is safe and conducive to conduct business,” she said.