CCTV Cameras Installed on St Monica’s Road
Yesterday afternoon [Mar.25] workers were busy installing CCTV cameras in the St. Monica’s Road area. Three cameras were seen to be installed, facing in three separate directions. Additional cameras will be added in areas including by the popular cafe ‘Art Mels’, as well as at the Palmetto Road entrance to St Monica’s Road.
Some young men that hang in the area were watching with interest as the cameras were installed, and we asked them what they thought.
They said it seemed to have benefits and negatives, and they agreed that many area residents will be happy to know they are installed from a safety point of view as they could assist in catching ‘gunmen.’ They also said, depending on the camera range, it could be violating privacy at times due to the close proximity of the houses to the camera.
The young men also noted something that is often noted by those that ‘hang’ in the area, that Court Street had CCTV cameras a long time ago, and tends to always have a far greater Police presence.
Minister Michael Weeks, the area MP, said “We have finally made good our promise.” A familiar face around the area, the Minister had been in the neighborhood during the day chatting to residents old and young, and said most welcomed the new cameras.
He explained that the cameras are constantly recording, and will assist in public safety. He also assured residents that the cameras are focused on incoming and outgoing traffic, and will not be impeding on people’s privacy peering in their homes.
The CCTV follows a year after the Government installed major street lighting all through the Pembroke East Central constituency, which included the St Monica’s Mission area.
A number of shootings have taken place in the area, recent incidents in which injuries occurred include:
- May 22 2009: 27-year-old Kenwandee “Wheels” Robinson was killed in a drive by shooting by two men on a motorbike in St Monicas Road, Pembroke
- December 5, 2009: 30-year-old Kumi Harford was killed at around 5am on St. Monica’s Road. Antonio Myers is presently on trial for his murder
- March 27, 2010: Jakai Harford was shot multiple times at around 4am in the Mission Lane, St Monica’s Road area
- November 27, 2010: Two men were shot in the Mission Lane, St Monica’s Road area. Both survived, but one was left paralyzed.
- September 23, 2010: A man was shot in the St Monica’s Mission area, during a day that saw two previous firearm incidents. Two men have been charged in connection.
YOU KNOW WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND, WHY THEY ALWAYS FEEL TO REVEAL CERTAIN THINGS!?!? I MEAN I KNOW IT MAY BE TO RECEIVE PROPS, OR ASSURE THE RESIDENTS THEY ARE SAFE, BUT HOW WILL THIS NOW HELP CATCH THE SHOOTERS?? THEY ARE PROBABLY READING THIS JUST LIKE WE R! CAN SOMEONE HELP ME UNDERSTAND THIS?
They didn’t reveal per se, they didn’t need to, it would be impossible to bring large trucks and climb up poles and install fairly large cameras on a public street in full eye view of numerous people without them noticing. This is Bermuda, so of course people were talking within minutes of the trucks arrival.
Minister Weeks said the cameras will be recording at all times, so they can assist in the same manner that CCTV does in other places on the island it is in use.
Okay, got you. That’s all I wanted was understanding.
No problem….
Better late then never…I suppose!!
Nice green house! I wonder what their property value is now?? seriously
13 years into a PLP Govt has affected all real estate…
Are the PLP responsible for the radioactivity in Japan as well?! Must be a powerful group, we should all stand in awe!
Quite possible..and we do stand,albeit not in awe but in how incompetent and or unethical they have proven to be..Fact!!
Wow, you give them too much credit. Both negative and positive.
They aren’t perfect by far mate, at least they are a little more inclusive than what we (I) experienced prior. Surely wished they had made some better decisions though, I will agree with you there for sure.
Yes it sure has…I now own real estate, an opportunity I couldn’t find 14 years ago.
I wish someone can explain to me how a private company can install these cameras island wide. I’ve heard of big brother, but this tskes the cake. I heard that the former commissioner of police works for the company installing these cameras. I smell a rat. Oh well, no more late night moon-lit drives wouldnt want to end up ina facebook video.
Weclome to the new plantation this is the new prison enjoy your stayp. The PLP have never been tuff on crime through out history as they have never trusted the governor or the police let alone tried to work with them. Its all them or nothing thats why Burch has periodically asked for control of the police. Power corrupts absolutely. The UBP is uselss and the BDA has no crediblity and the PLP can be dragged along with money. How long till China owns us like the US.
LOL
Get a room
Its about time these camera’s be installed. If you’re doing right then you have nothing to worry about. I’m glad these cameras have finally been installed.
Touché.
@ To Catch A Killer – ya..give a nice big smile and wave fa big bra!! haha still ain’t gonna do nuttin. too late!
If certain people on this rock were ‘acting right’ we wouldn’t need the damn things.
Or maybe even a police force larger per capita than anywhere else on the planet.
But they do behave badly and so we move with the times..not unlike London and other big cities …
I dont have an issue with the cameras. i have an issue with a private company installing them and watching over us. Everybody has a price, and who’s to say that the people ( NON POLICE ) who will be operating these cameras won’t be bribed. I guess time will tell, and lets see if they end up in the white neighborhoods or will BEST and the other UBP/ BDA people keep them out of their fancy backyards.
If its good for the goose than it should be good for the gander.
Maybe the cameras would have captured the white kid from fairylands who used an offensive weapon and only got a slap on the wrist from the courts.
If we gonna do something right, than the entire island might as well become a police state just like the Middle East.
No honest., Law abiding citizen in that area has a problem with these cameras. Not only will it reduce the risk of being shot, it will surely force those that want to engage in other criminal activity to find an alternate location.. This is clearly a good thing..
@ itsme – haha ya already answered ya own question bra. WHERE is de majority of it happenin…and dats where de cameras a are goin. If you saw shootings and “crime” like it happens everyday where the “WHITE” man lives ahhaha gimme a break….you’d see cameras up der too, but it don’t so get ova yaself and stop talking black and white. It’s about all of us now…and ya boy from fairylands did go back jail for a lil bit. What u holdin onto?????
Well, I am and have always been a law abiding citizen. So if i hear you correctly, those engaged in other criminal activity shall find an alternate location. Let me guess, yet another BLACK neighborhood, so with that another set of cameras and devaluation of the properties comes along with it. You can try and sugar coat it all you want, but it will only be a matter of time, before there’s a camera on every corner watching your every move.So be careful what you wish for.
So the next time you drop a piece of trash, you better look over your shoulder to see which direction the camera is looking.
Your commentary is far to complexed..It really is as simple as folk in that area wanting some semblance of comfort and calm..the fact that you worry about your civil liberties is your issue..Or maybe you subscribe to the theory that crime restricted to a few areas, far from were you hang is acceptable..hmmm!
You know Red, you’re mostly right. But one thing is clear, “that area” didn’t get “like that” overnight and it doesn’t stay “like that” because those folks are fighting tooth and nail against it. There is some neighborhood responsibility behind the past, present, and future of “that area”.
Those folk need to step up to the plate and swing away even more if they want a better neighborhood and to get rid of the cameras so they can kiss in publice. There is a LOT of knowledge in “that area” that can probably be very productive to the authorities. There is lots more knowledge in many other areas all over the island that can deal very serious blows and disruption to the scenes the cameras were installed to catch. The best offense we and all the folks have is that we are such a small island.
FYI – The UK’s Liberal Democrats object to the “surveillance society” that they believe has grown up in Britain, and they’ve released a set of figures on CCTV use that purport to show that the cameras are ineffective at helping police solve crimes.
The data was released by the London Assembly of the Liberal Democrats, which gathered police data from the greater London area. According to the information, London police solve only 21 percent of all crimes, and the rate of success does not appear to have any correlation to the number of CCTV cameras installed in each borough.
Though the statistical impact of CCTV on overall crime rates may be up for debate, there’s no question that the technology has played a critical role in solving some high-profile cases. Last week, for instance, the first barrister ever sentenced for “perverting the course of justice” in the UK found out that he could spend up to a year in chokey after forging some legal documents for a case he was involved with. A CCTV camera in London captured pictures of the barrister sending the bogus e-mails from a shop.
**** Forgot to add **** The key words common in all the articles i have researched in the UK and USA, was POLICE
NOT G.E.T. a private company.
Just thought i’ll educate you and others who may be reading or following this blog.
So don’t get me wrong, I have no objection to cameras being installed and operated by the Bda Police Service, like the cameras throughout the City of Hamilton.
So please dont try and paint me or label me as someone who doesnt want out 21 square miles to be safe for our residents and tourists alike.
I worry about the potential for abuse and whats left of my freedoms as a law abiding citizen of Bermuda
Who cares what you worry about..people are being killed..
The cameras are up and hopefully crime in that area will be reduced..Move on bra ..move on…
So glad those cameras were not there back in the day when on that very corner a green London phone booth was there;not telling tales but the neigborhood kids would use it as our own little piggybank…Those days when you could go in Pepperpot an get a chocolate and minral for 50c .Unfortunately those cameras represent a horrible indictment of how wretched our society has allowed itself to become.Archie Sousa has operated from that area since forever serving that community,now obtrusive technology can even measure how many gallons he sells per day…We are witnessing a downward spiral of everything we value as a country.
Another typical REDNECK answer.
Guess you’ll be satisfied when if a few yrs, when we are no better off because of these cameras, and they start using them for other things.
I hope you’ll be around to give your feedback
Satisfaction is as simple as reducing shootings,/ murder and crime in general in an area that has experienced both in huge amounts..Save your conspiracy theories and paranoia for those that care..I simply don’t …
I agree. I can see the camera’s being used to catch adulterers and kids skipping school and dogs chasing cats.. OMG, what will we do?? OMG. O M G..
I think cameras should be installed on Parson’s Road, Pond Hill and also Palmetto Road…needless to say I’m all for any method that will catch these culprits and most shootings seem to occur in the heart of Pembroke…hopefully this is a LEGIT business who will not be easily bribed…I just hope the identity of the company is kept on the low.
These cameras will serve as a deterrent to crime in that area, unfortunately the criminals will simply move on to another place etc,etc.
We have several locations in Bermuda where cameras could make a difference
but we must accept that they alone will not have an impact if citizens remain reluctant to pass information to the police. The criminal element must be arrested and charged, not simply moved on to a location with no cameras. Do we want them on every Belco pole in Bermuda?
About time they all grew up and realized the country is sinking due to their worthless gun games
Whats the big deal about who is installing them and monitoring them?? Whats the difference if the Police are monitoring them as opposed to a private agency?? I’m not seeing what the problem is? Because many a policeman has “been bought” just because they are in a uniform that doesn’t make them legit….My only hope is that the cameras act as a deterrent and they serve the purpose for which they are intended…the ones on Court Street don’t seem to make a difference neither does the big police bus parked there….hopefully these will….and if they can see through hoodies and masks and are able to “uncover” covered license plates than I really give them a thumbs up!!!!!!!
Yah gutt me cunfoozed Handle….Wow…I need a beer after reading that. Have rum on me for my comments.
okay the cameras are installed but are they functioning? To install them is one thing but I would hate for something to happen and then hear that they weren’t functioning at the time so we have no footage. Looking for clarification, maybe you can help Bernews.