Misbahu Bashir
21 July 2008
All the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed by the Nigeria Police last year at twenty five strategic locations in Abuja are currently malfunctioning owing to lack of maintenance, Daily Trust gathered at the weekend.
Authoritative police sources told Daily Trust that the CCTVs automatically stop functioning whenever there is power outage because their various Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) units have broken down.
Daily Trust gathered that most of the batteries of the Sony High Speed Dome (HSD) cameras have run down, while the two monitor computers receiving signals from the cameras at the Force Headquarters also have no reliable UPS.
A source familiar with the system said since the hand over of the CCTV project in 2007 after the expiration of the warranty period by the private company that handled the contract of procurement and installation of these surveillance gadgets, no money was earmarked for its maintenance and no functional mechanism of maintaining was set up. Though a handful of police
men were trained by the company on how to operate the gadgets, they are unable to do much due to lack of spare parts and logistics, Daily Trust learnt.
A source said since the system operates round the clock, a total of two Schisco Switches at the Control Room have been damaged by thunderstorm, which would not have been replaced if not for the efforts of the company whose staff come from time to time even after the hand over.
A source said a minimum of 1000 HSD cameras are required to enhance surveillance in 85 percent of the Federal Capital Territory, hence the need for expansion from the present 25 cameras. It is difficult to see how the Police Force could manage such a number if at the moment maintaining 25 HSD cameras can not be guaranteed. For example, Daily Trust learnt that in New York City, there are 54,000 such cameras while in London, there are an estimated 65,000 cameras. All are well maintained.
However, Force Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police Agberebi E. Akpoebi told Daily Trust in Abuja that the cameras were certainly installed in major places in Abuja and have been functional. He said the main problem with the cameras, especially now when they are most needed, is power outages.
He said, "The CCTV could only function with the aid of electric power which has to be constant and uninterrupted. Lack of adequate provision of electricity has rendered the aim behind the CCTVs meaningless and unless the situation improves, no meaningful result will be attained from them."
Millions naira were used in the procurement of these surveillance facilities (HSD cameras) The cameras, according to one police officer, would have helped the police in tracking the movement of criminals as well as simplify investigations, but their epileptic operation has been the problem.
The officer said problems associated with the CCTV, launched by the former IGP, made the present police authorities to be indifferent to it. He said no matter what perception the present IGP Mike Okiro has on the CCTV, he has galvanised every support with a view to actualizing and sustaining them since they are life saving devices.
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