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Jakarta to have extensive CCTV system
The Jakarta administration is set to revise Gubernatorial Regulation No
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he Jakarta administration is set to revise Gubernatorial Regulation No. 27/2014, which regulates billboards and their rental value, and would oblige all billboard owners to convert to light emitting diode (LED) digital billboards and equip them with CCTV cameras.
Communications and Information Agency head Ii Karunia said that the city administration was currently drafting the revision in order to implement the new regulations.
'All billboard owners will be obliged to convert to digital LED billboards,' Ii said on Thursday.
Ii said the regulation on converting billboards was not only due to aesthetic considerations but also for security. He said that the LED billboards would act as street lighting.
He added that the city administration would also revise the regulation to oblige all billboard owners to install CCTV cameras near their billboards. He said the billboard owners would be responsible for maintaining and operating the cameras.
Furthermore, Ii said that this year the city administration was set to receive 4,000 CCTV units from telecommunications infrastructure company PT Bali Towerindo Sentra and 2,000 from state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia's (Telkom) tower subsidiary PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi (Mitratel).
'We will prioritize installing them in outdoor areas which are prone to brawls and crime,' Ii said, adding that all CCTV cameras must be integrated with Jakarta's smart city system and the city police's command center so the city administration and the police could easily access recordings.
The Jakarta Police are set to operate a planned Rp 500 billion (US$36.9 million) command center aimed at connecting the 6,000 CCTV cameras in an effort to maintain security and order in the city.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said the command center, which would be situated at the city police's headquarters in South Jakarta, would be set up next year.
'If we have an integrated CCTV system that is connected to our headquarters, we can provide security services faster. We can move quickly to deploy our personnel,' he said on Wednesday.
Forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri welcomed the plan, but said that its effectiveness would be highly dependent on the police's ability to adapt to such a system.
'CCTV merely captures moments and provides information. The important matter lies in the personnel who will follow up on the information. If they are not responsive, it can be useless,' he said on Thursday.
Further, Reza said, the police's plan could also be at risk of failing to improve security services due to poor urban planning and management.
Jakarta is one of the least safe cities among 50 on five continents, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report released in January.
In the report, which is based on the relative safety of a city in four categories ' digital security, health security, infrastructure safety and personal safety ' Jakarta ranked 45th, in the last category.
The report also highlighted ongoing debate on CCTV, citing studies that say the ubiquitous cameras do not have a significant impact on crime rates.
Reza questioned the basis of such studies, saying that surveillance cameras were nevertheless required to step up security measures.
'Crime rates are based on reports. If they decline, it means that early warning systems don't function properly,' he said. 'Whether CCTV is effective or not, with the police's plan, at least, one element of security services will be fulfilled.'
Well-maintained CCTV cameras captured many vital moments of the kidnapping of 6-year-old girl Cintya Hermawan at a wholesale center in Cililitan, East Jakarta, in July. (alm)
