Surveillance services provider Vumacam has partnered with the Gauteng provincial government (GPG), giving the GPG immediate access to an expansive network of over 6 000 cameras in the province, as well as to partner cameras nationwide.

In addition to its own infrastructure, Vumacam has access to 5 000 partner cameras across South Africa.

As such, any vehicle seen to be used in criminal activity in another province would trigger an immediate alert if seen by the cameras within Gauteng, Vumacam points out.

Moreover, GPG and Vumacam have committed to extending camera coverage to underserved areas, particularly within the townships, informal settlements and hostel areas.

The Gauteng Department of e-Government is mandated to ensure that technology strengthens the immediate fight against crime, corruption, vandalism and lawlessness.

The Department of e-Government, as the entity mandated to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution on behalf of the GPG in the province, will provide smart integrated closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras as a service to all its clients with the aim of increasing and improving service delivery through greater efficiency.

To support this mandate, Vumacam’s network is expected to enhance a range of services by deploying CCTV cameras in the GPG – thereby providing evidence to relevant enforcement agencies; maintaining public order; preventing antisocial behaviour and nuisance; providing reassurance and promoting economic wellbeing, Vumacam posits.

It mentions that a further layer of security is added by escalating verified alerts, ensuring any potential noise from false alerts is filtered out and only actionable alerts are escalated through Vumacam’s locally developed Proof Platform.

“We believe the alerts from our extensive network delivered through our world-class software platform, and verified by expertly trained operators, will result in a new normal in the fight against crime in South Africa’s economic heartland.

“The launch of our partnership with the GPG builds on the success of Vumacam’s partnerships with public entities as we deploy our advanced technology to make the people of Gauteng safer,” says Vumacam CEO Ricky Croock.

“As we continue to foster collaboration to fight crime between the private and public sectors through technology, we continue to invest in and grow our infrastructure and platform. This provides lifesaving and actionable intelligence, in real time, to those who put their lives on the line every day. In this way, we can all help create safer, smarter cities where people, businesses and tourism can thrive.

“We believe we can help South Africa become a safer place through the power of video and technology, delivered by a centralised platform that connects disparate operators, and that will become the de-facto standard in all control rooms,” he adds.