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fter successfully installing CCTV cameras to monitor floods and traffic congestion, the city administration expected to deploy more surveillance cameras to curb vandalism and crimes.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Thursday that the surveillance cameras would be effective in reducing the incidence of brawls across the city.

“With the cameras, law enforcement officials can identify perpetrators and take them to court. The city administration can also use the recordings to analyze what caused the brawls,” Fauzi said.

The governor was referring to recent street brawls and vandalism in densely populated areas of Central Jakarta. One area notorious for brawls is Tanah Tinggi in Johar Baru subdistrict.

The neighborhood has more than 30,000 people living in a 62.4-hectare area.

“We can use the cameras in this area to monitor the residents’ activity so we can respond more quickly to disturbances,” Fauzi said.

Later on Thursday, Public Order Agency head Effendi Anas said that the city operated around 120 cameras across the city and was planning to install 40 more cameras this year.

“The governor aims to deploy 250 surveillance cameras to areas prone to social unrest, crime and vandalism,” Effendi told The Jakarta Post.

Among spots currently monitored by the cameras are areas around the National Monument, which hosts the Presidential Palace, a number of ministerial offices, the City Hall and Gambir Railway Station.

The Public Order Office has also installed cameras on Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Thamrin and in areas surrounding the House of Representatives complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

“This year, we will start installing cameras in bus terminals, train stations and around malls or other public areas susceptible to criminal activities,” Effendi said.

No data is available to back up the claim that cameras have helped reduce crime and vandalism in areas monitored, but they allowed officers to react faster, he said.

Police data shows that Jakarta saw a slight drop in the crime rate last year, recording 55,006 criminal cases, a 3.56 percent drop from 57,038 in 2009.

The city administration, however, recorded that juvenile crime, which included brawls and vandalism, increased from 21 in 2009 to 25 last year.