• Vumacam has confirmed that several arrests have occurred since it partnered with the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG).
• The pair announced a partnership earlier this month to give Guateng access to Vumacam’s network of 6 000-plus security cameras.
• The new venture has seen a significant increase in the reaction of SAPS to crimes.

It has been two weeks since Vumacam and the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) announced an initiative where the former opened up access to its network of 6 000-plus cameras across the region.

The partnership was aimed at increasing law enforcement’s capacity to both identify and react to crimes happening in Gauteng suburbs, and now Vumacam has provided a quick update as to what efforts have been made in a relatively short period of time.

To that end, several arrests have been made for a number of different crimes.

On 21st February for example, the GPG control room was alerted to a house robbery taking place in the Mondeor area.

“The relevant vehicle’s registration number was shared with the team and loaded onto the Vumacam platform. The SAPS highway patrol were dispatched to the last location the camera detected the vehicle in Bruma, and the suspects were pursued. Several shots were fired, and the suspect’s vehicle then collided with a stationary vehicle on the road. SAPS officers were able to intercept the vehicle, with three unlicensed firearms recovered, and four suspects arrested for their crimes,” Vumacam explains in a release shared with Hypertext.

Along with house robberies, the partnership has proved useful when it comes to the theft of vehicles.

One day earlier, on 20th February, “The AA sought a Toyota Corolla in connection with a fraud case. Following an LPR hit, SAPS Parkview and 24/7 Security were dispatched and intercepted the vehicle. Booysens SAPS requested the vehicle be brought to the station, leading to the driver’s arrest and the vehicle being impounded.”

On the same day, “The Vumacam network helped in four key cases, including the recovery of a stolen motorcycle. An alert within the LPR system picked up a stolen motorcycle, enabling SAPS Moffatview to be dispatched. The driver was instructed to clear the motorbike,” the company added.

While it is still early days in the process, it is clear that this partnership it yielding results. As such, it will be interesting to see whether other provincial government departments will look to security camera networks as a determent to crime down the line.

“The power of our technology allows our partners in the public and private sector to maximise their crime fighting resources. By putting the right people in the right place at the right time, the partnership with GPG is a further demonstration of the very tangible benefits of smart technology to protect all South Africans,” emphasised Michael Varney, chief commercial officer of Vumacam.

“We will continue to build on the collaboration between the private and public sector through technology and continue to invest in the growth of our infrastructure and platform. We are already demonstrating how we can work together to help Gauteng, and South Africa become a safer place through the power of video and technology,” he concluded.

[Image – Photo by Jürgen Jester on Unsplash]