It is about time something tangible is done to tackle the crime and vandalism besieging our city.
Our sister publication Weekend Post reported that Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s leaders were looking into deploying drones over the metro to keep an eye on criminal activity and valuable assets.
Though it is still in the discussion phase, this would be a welcome move as the city’s infrastructure has been destroyed by criminals and vandals, and it is no secret that law enforcement does not have a handle on the situation.
Bay safety and security boss Lawrence Troon believes an investment in drones might just be the drastic step needed to curb the city’s most prevalent ills.
“In recent months gang violence, cable theft and vandalism have grown out of hand,” Troon said.
“This presentation has shown us how these craft could be implemented effectively against the burning issues like cable theft, destruction of municipal assets and the senseless loss of lives due to ongoing gangsterism.
“If it were up to me, we would have deployed these drones yesterday,” he said.
The team in charge of the drone system explained how it had been deployed in several locations across SA over the past 10 years, and how it had managed to effectively eliminate crime.
They claimed they had seen results at the Richards Bay titanium mine, where the number of incidents had dropped from 90 to zero.
The drones were also instrumental in bringing the 2021 riots in KwaZulu-Natal under control, they claimed.
The system comprises a series of drones, controlled by licensed commercial pilots, all with experience in security services and law enforcement.
The firm controlling the system must be accredited by law enforcement to operate within no-fly zones and key points, and will work closely with metro police and SA Police Service officials to operate effectively within the city.
Each drone is fitted with highly sophisticated camera systems capable of zooming in hundreds of metres to clearly read a car’s licence plate, or identify a person’s face.
Any system, regardless of how sophisticated it is, would come with its own challenges, as would the drones.
It would be dependent on the team operating the devices and law enforcement responding quickly to incidents picked up on camera. And that is where the challenges are likely to come in.
It is, however, a system that may be worthwhile exploring. Folding our arms and hoping the problem will go away will not help.
Something must be done.
HeraldLIVE