Cebu City cameras for P500T per intersection?

The Cebu City government is looking into the possibility of installing closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) in road intersections to deter the commission of crimes and traffic violations.

Francis Dy, local supplier of Taiwan-based GKB Professional Network Surveillance, made a presentation yesterday of the outdoor cameras.

Dy said the company could install CCTVs for P350,000 to P500,000 per intersection.

Present were city officials including Jose Maria Eugenio Elizalde, the presiding officer of the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council.

Elizalde said the city government long planned to install CCTVs in the city’s business district “but I want it in all areas, if possible including the 80 barangays.”

Rene Mercado said that so far, GKB, which earlier won the bidding for the purchase of 46 CCTVs for the city treasurers office, has offered the lowest price for the outdoor cameras.

Citom office head Rafael Yap said that Citom proposed traffic cameras along major intersections in Osmeña Boulevard, Governor Cuenco Avenue, V. Rama Avenue, Archbishop Reyes Avenue and Escario Street.

“If we pattern this after the practice in the US, we would no longer see traffic cops standing by on streets. They will be patrolling the streets,” he said.

Dy said the cameras can record traffic images in its built-in memory or the databank in its command center, where they may be viewed on personal computers, which show 64 CCTVs at the same time.

The cameras can zoom in from a distance of 200 meters and record vehicle plate numbers.

“We could attach this to police cars so law enforcers would have video streaming while responding to alarms,” he said.