C-ing the other side of CCTV

15 February 2025

The City’s CCTV network is not ALL about crime – it is also proving an invaluable tool in raising the alarm around other public safety risks. Read more below:

The Metro Police Strategic Surveillance Unit (SSU) has a network of 1 169 CCTV cameras in various parts of the metropole.

Some are funded by the Safety and Security Directorate, and others via ward allocations.

Apart from expanding the CCTV footprint, the SSU has also spent considerable time and effort in retrofitting cameras to ensure updated capabilities.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the system detected 43 968 incidents. Of these, 26 384 incidents of crime were relayed to responders, resulting in 454 arrests.

'CCTV cameras have without a doubt proven their worth in the enforcement environment. Just recently, we highlighted two incidents that happened on the same day in Athlone, where camera operators led ground forces to recover two firearms and make three related arrests. However, it is important to acknowledge that CCTV doesn't keep an eye only on crime. Operators also detect and dispatch responses to emergency incidents like flooding, fires, motor vehicle accidents or broken down vehicles on the highways. They even escalate instances of City infrastructure in need of repairs, like pipe bursts,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

During the period in review, CCTV operators detected the following non-crime related incidents:

• 1 671 fires, including 314 residential fires and 1 174 grass/rubbish fires
  
• 113 medical incidents, including 57 cases of assault
• 1 819 motor vehicle accidents, resulting in 43 arrests for drunk driving and/or reckless and negligent driving
• 259 utility-related incidents like electrical faults, burst water mains etc.

In terms of by-law transgressions, operators detected 7 360 incidents, including 294 incidents of fighting in public that resulted in 17 arrests, and 2 214 incidents of drinking in public.

'We are moving into other forms of technology, but CCTV has long been a force multiplier, ensuring responses faster than they would have happened otherwise, or at all. Work will continue to expand our CCTV network, and we are also planning to pilot a CCTV analytics project that will help make the ever-increasing camera network better and faster at detecting, and responding to, various incident types,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

CCTV footage is securely stored, and only made available to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for purposes of investigation.

In the last year, SAPS has sought the assistance of the SSU in 302 instances. 

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office