Hopewell Radebe
7 August 2008
Johannesburg — THE question of big brother watching our every move is to reach greater intensity in SA as businesses and the government install sophisticated cameras and control centres to combat crime and ensure security ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and beyond.
South Africans are getting used to cameras at shopping malls, petrol stations and even in the streets of cities, especially Johannesburg.
Experts say the military, police and private security companies are acquiring the latest technology in image engineering and are sharing intelligence -- all in the name of ensuring the best possible security strategy in the history of SA for the World Cup.
Durban harbour is spending R145m on a highly sophisticated electronically based surveillance security systems, including the installation of 423 cameras over the next three years.
Cities are increasingly utilising the technology not only for crime-fighting in their central business districts, but also for traffic control.
The military is also securing its own establishments, while police are linking their control centres to those ports of entry -- such as airports, border gates and harbours -- which have installed advanced technology in image or video processing.
Police spokesman Senior Supt Vish Naidoo says the equipment is crucial for its control centres and venue operational centres -- such as at stadiums -- where police will monitor the public through videos and be linked to the officers and security personnel on the ground via electronic communication networks.
"The guys in the centres will be the eyes for the ground units and units, too, will be the eyes and ears of the centres."
However, "not all the video networks we are accessing belong to the SAPS (South African Police Service)".
"Most of them belong to municipalities and other role players (security companies). This way the SAPS has been enabled to focus on investing in the equipment that it will be able to use beyond the World Cup," says Naidoo.
Protoclea is one of the local companies supplying the technology to the military and the security industry.
Previously known as Thales Advanced Engineering, it specialises in the design, production and delivery of a range of products such as closed circuit TV , image processing technology and systems for application in both the military and commercial markets.
Protoclea MD Bennie Coetzer says its equipment has been installed in civil and military airports as well as stadiums to beef up security.
The system is not only monitored by trained personnel, it is equipped to alert the authorities automatically about possible dangers such as fire hazards long before the naked eye detects them.
Through the system, authorities would be able to know which doors and gates to open or shut to save people from running towards exits already engulfed by fire.
He says the navy has been the most proactive arm of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), followed by the air force, in investing in research aimed at finding ways to protect its equipment from attack by unconventional means.
"We have supplied the whole of the South African Navy with equipment on board their frigates, which has been an honour for us," Coetzer says, adding that the organisation is also responsible for the maintenance of some of the air force's radar system.
The fact that the navy has searched for local expertise and developed technology for its new fleet is also recognition of the quality of local products.
Other units of the SANDF have shown interest in Protoclea's equipment for image intelligence systems; intelligence; surveillance and reconnaissance systems; and image transmission and tactical video recording , says Coetzer.
"No army is able to fight successfully against unconventional or guerrilla warfare ... but our military is searching for ways to pre-empt and detect possible attacks," says Coetzer.
Therefore such equipment should enable the military to react fast enough but also use appropriate power to accurately take out the target without endangering civilians and with minimum damage to property.
"The military is obviously one of the few establishments in our country that spends money on research, which helps retain the rare talent and skills. We complain about brain drain or the flight of specialised skills in the country.
"Some of the challenges could be addressed if various institutions were to invest in research and innovation to help keep the competitive edge of the country by producing more specialists in a range of fields," says Coetzer. Although Protoclea is acknowledged as the image processing and transmission facility of the SANDF, the defence industry is a small market for the company to survive in, says Protoclea marketing manager Bradley Josephs.
He says to stay afloat, it tries to find ways to create products that are also used more generally, especially in the security sector. The company is also "making significant inroads" into the medical field.
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