Shadow Minister Questions Status Of CCTV

September 29, 2014

[Updated] The Opposition has called on Premier Michael Dunkley to advise the public of the status of CCTV, saying that while they “know that it may not catch every incident, if not operational then it will not catch any.”

Earlier this year it was announced that a new CCTV system would be implemented, which will consist of 150 cameras island-wide, with the latest technology to allow the police to do such analytics including facial and vehicle recognition and tracking.

The CCTV monitoring centre in Prospect:

Bermuda-CCTV-monitoring generic

Shadow Public Safety Minister Walter Roban was speaking after Saturday’s incident, which saw two suspects on a motorcycle chase a BMW car from Devonshire to Southampton, with the vehicle eventually crashing into a wall after gunshots were fired into the car.

Mr. Roban said, “The news of the shooting, on the heels of the shooting last week, stands as a clear reminder that much work remains to be done in keeping our young people and Bermuda safe.

“To the victims of the shooting and their families, we offer our prayers and support; to the community we urge cooperation with the police and assistance in their efforts to bring the shooters to justice.

“A Bermuda where our young men can be shot on our streets, high speed chases with lethal weapons become the norm and where sporting and community events are forced to be cancelled due to threats of violence, is not the Bermuda any of us wants and we all have a role to play in restoring our safety and security.

“We call on Premier Michael Dunkley to advise the public of the status of CCTV. While we know that it may not catch every incident, if not operational then it will not catch any.

“We deserve to feel safe in our country; our visitors deserve to feel safe on vacation,” added Mr. Roban.

Anyone with any information about Saturday’s incident is urged to contact the Police on 295-0011, or the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers hotline on 800-8477.’

Update 1.19pm: On a related note, during today’s press conference about the fight on Front Street, the police said they are reviewing the CCTV footage.

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Category: All, Crime, News, Politics

Comments (28)

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  1. watching says:

    Great question Roban! What is the status? We know that they took the contract from GET Ltd and gave it to BAS Serco, but we have heard very little since.

  2. Skeptic says:

    Dear Mr Roban, do you think perhaps that the BPS may be fairly busy investigating the situation and at this stage and for very good reasons could be unwilling to share with the Bermuda public at large what information they do or do not have? Your pestering comments are more likely to upset the investigative process than help, or perhaps that is your intention??

    • Raymond Ray says:

      Mr. Walter Roban sir, you’ve become more of a thorn in ones side than offering any assistance :-(
      A Thought to Ponder
      Your dream will take longer to accomplish than you realize and will be harder to achieve than you anticipate, but it will be far more rewarding than you could ever imagine. Perseverance sustains your dream. It means succeeding because you’re determined to, not destined to. Don’t let weariness weigh you down. Instead, refuse to let your present surroundings dictate the fate of your dream. Press ahead even when everything isn’t perfectly in place, and renew your thinking each day by recalling past successes and by taking notice of your strengths and abilities.(John Maxwell)

    • Hurricane says:

      Dear Mr. Rohan,

      Pay Skeptic no attention and continue what you are doing. Mr. Dunkley is not only the Premier, but also the Minister of National Security. Without any interruptions to any investigation into recent incidents, he should be aware and prepared to share with the public whether or not the CCTV cameras are operational.

    • sage says:

      Release the footage (if there is any) it could lead to identification and arrests.

  3. Jon says:

    “We deserve to feel safe in our country..”
    No we don’t. WE have to create an atmosphere in which we feel safe. It is not a right, it’s up to us. No government can manufacture that.

    • sswhite says:

      Spoken like a true patriot and someone who truly understands our constitution.

  4. Jeremy Deacon says:

    There may be a very good reason that this has not been revealed. I would suggest that the Shadow Minister has a quiet word with the Premier/Police Commissioner first before committing himself publicly

    • Jeremy Deacon says:

      I also wonder why no CCTV system was put into operation from 1998 to 2012 …….

      • watching says:

        Actually Mr Deacon, CCTV was in fact put into effect during the PLP government. Was it islandwide? No, but it was put into effect in certain areas where crime was running rampant, and when the OBA came into power, they changed the service provider and we have seen lapses in service in these areas. Come on man, I thought you were a journalist. Maybe you should do some research.

        • aceboy says:

          Actually, if Mr. Deacon does do a little digging he’ll find that CCTV cameras were part of the 1998 PLP campaign promises. He’ll then find the project was delayed and delayed and millions spent and which ended up providing low quality images and only in certain areas of Town. I don’t even think they ended up getting anything like the centrally located “control room” linking in the cameras to a central network. More like a few cameras hooked up to DVRs.

  5. hmmm says:

    Roban, where were you in the PLP reign when shootings were nearly every week ?

  6. ..I.. says:

    Hey Walter the PLP spent all the money so Dunk boy doesn’t have any extra money to turn the cameras on.

    • more than enough says:

      But he can fly to new york with at least 5 government sponsered individuals…try again.

  7. Raw Onion says:

    Don’t forget Roban, there wasn’t a need for cameras prior to the PLP coming into power. Now that there is a need, the current Govt is expanding on what you started (with improvements) and with far less money in which to do so. I see the poles going up so I’m confident that the project will be completed soon so that we can see more of the state your party left this country in.

    • nothing up my sleeve says:

      this comment is “special” not in a good way, “there wasn’t a need for cameras prior to PLP”? so project clean sweep was just for kicks and giggles, plus the cost for cameras and installation back then would have broke our budget ten fold. Crime didn’t start when PLP got in power it was already increasing and getting more heinous at the time.

  8. Big Brother Bermuda says:

    Be careful what you wish for…

  9. jr smith says:

    why can’t the public have online access to cctv system? It could be an extra source of income for them, since everybody loves to talk about $$. Plus have they given the public any notification on where these cameras are located, since we paid for it…

    • sswhite says:

      Agreed. Typical government bs…have you pay for a system you cannot use…

  10. Coffee says:

    Recently the UBP/OBA Premier and National Security Minister The Honorable Micheal Dunkeley M.P,J.P .. Made such a joyful spectacle about the investment made in these ultra modern wondrous devices , we the public now deserve to know whether or not they actually work !

  11. memory lo$$ says:

    the GET camera’s were corroded with water damaged screens and did’nt work. That was a contract given by guess who, at the time, who jumped onboard GET once out of office. did he have an interest in the company guaranteed when he finished office?..lest we forget.

  12. memorylo$$ says:

    Coffee, go look at the junk pile up at police headquarters that Burch and GET installed. Its sad to think it could have all ben paid for once, installed and working today. But no. The former minister who awarded the contract, was in a hurry I guess. Funny that he now has an interest in the same firm.

  13. more than enough says:

    About as transparent as a brick wall…

  14. God knows says:

    @memorylo$$, Your comment is so laced with lies you need to find a JOB with the national enquirer,(LOL) Or look around the site at WEDCO were GET Ltd installed their cameras they took down from the BPS CCTV system. so there is your trash!!!