ANGELES CITY -- As part of its campaign against criminality and traffic violations, the City Government here has installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras along major thoroughfares.

Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno led the launching of CCTV surveillance system in this city during the Street Jam and Party celebration along McArthur Highway at Barangay Balibago.

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He said at least seven cameras with zooming capabilities are already operational. They will be used to monitor major thoroughfares to help deter crimes. Videos and still images are transmitted over fiber optic lines to the operation center.

“The CCTV cameras will be jointly monitored and supervised by the Angeles City Police Office (Acpo) and Office of the Mayor,” he said.

City Administrator Mark Allen Sison said the CCTV cameras would also be used to manage the traffic situation in the city and to gather relevant data on vehicular traffic, including its volume, for future traffic regulations.

Nepomuceno also said that he is re-implementing Ordinance 175, which requires all banks, money changers, pawnshops, malls, supermarkets and other similar establishments to install CCTV cameras to prevent cases of armed robbery, theft and similar criminal offenses in their respective establishment.

He said the ordinance was approved by the City Council on January 16, 2006 but many establishments are still not complying with it.

The ordinance, he said, is in reference to the Local Government Code under Section 16, stating that every local government unit shall exercise the powers essential to the promotion of the general welfare of its inhabitants.

It states that all banks, money changers, pawnshops, malls, supermarkets and other similar establishments with capitalization of more than P500,000 are required to install CCTV monitors within a period of one year.