CCTV camera with Number Plate Recognition to support Swakop law enforcement

By Adolf Kaure.

The Swakopmund Municipality has approved the Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch’s proposal to install a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera for traffic monitoring at their own cost, during its recent monthly meeting.

The CCTV camera at the Swakop entrance of the old road to Walvis Bay is a 4-month pilot project of the neighbourhood watch to test the practicality of monitoring the movement of vehicles and prosecuting criminals based on the registration number of the vehicle.

The only condition set by the Council is that any footage requested by the police and Swakopmund’s Emergency Law Enforcement Division, must be made available.

The neighbourhood watch has also been notified that the creation and installation of CCTV cameras in Swakopmund be subjected to regulations to be drafted for approval by the Swakopmund Municipal Council.

The decision follows an internal meeting with the station commander of the Swakopmund Police Station where it transpired that there is a critical need for the installation of a high-resolution low-light CCTV camera at the entrance to the town.

“The implementation of the Number Plate Recognition (NPR) technology will serve several critical purposes pertaining to combating crime which includes enhancing security.”

“The NPR camera will enable the monitoring of all vehicles entering and leaving Swakopmund, thereby aiding in the identification of suspicious or unauthorised vehicles in real-time,”said the chairperson of the Swakopmund Municipal Council’s management committee.

Similar cameras will also aid with traffic management, law enforcement support and accident prevention.

“By recording and analysing traffic flow data, the NPR camera will provide valuable insights into traffic patterns and congestion points, facilitating more efficient traffic management strategies.”

“The NPR camera’s ability to automatically recognise number plates will assist law enforcement agencies in tracking down vehicles involved in criminal activities or violating traffic regulations.”

“With the ability to identify vehicles, the camera will contribute to the prevention of hit-and-run incidents and aid in the investigation of accidents within the town limits,” he said.

This data collection covers all vehicles entering and exiting the Swakopmund area. If any criminal activity occurs within Swakopmund or anywhere in Namibia, and the corresponding number plate is provided, the system would be capable of identifying the entry or exit of specific vehicles.

The Council has consistently emphasized the urgency of taking immediate action without delay.

The Swakopmund Neighbourhood Watch has installed a camera with similar capabilities in the past but was instructed to remove it.

With the new, approved installation, the neighbourhood watch proposed upgrading their existing system with evolving technology and re-installing a camera with number plate recognition capability.

They suggest utilizing the lamp post and electricity from Erongo RED, and reinstating the solar panel system to operate the cameras during the daytime, as street lights’ electricity on comes on at night.

They have not requested any financial contribution from the Council, as this installation is part of a four-month pilot project after which a comprehensive report and statistics will be presented to the Council to assess its success or failure.