"NOTHING to hide" has become the byword of the flourishing surveillance industry. Davao City is Mindanao's capital when it came to closed-circuit television following the inauguration of the multi-million Public Safety Command Center (PSCC) at SIR New Matina on Wednesday.
Some may now refer to Davao as the most spied-upon city in Mindanao but there's no denying it that it makes the city less comfortable to would-be criminals.
The two-storey PSCC, which keeps a virtual eye on the city's streets and major intersections both for traffic, public safety and security concerns, houses monitors of CCTV cameras installed all over the city and serves as the central station of the city's traffic signalization program.
The PSCC is the first in the country wherein a city government enhanced its response mechanism through the combined use of CCTVs and traffic signalization with state-of-the-art equipment.
Seventeen wireless cameras, with a 35x optical zoom capacity, were imported from the United States and were installed in 16 strategic areas in city, covering entry and exit points and populated areas in the downtown areas, and the traffic signalization for the entire city.
The monitoring system is even better than the ones used by the Emergency 911 of the United States and that in Manila.
Cameras are getting cleverer all the time as well as filming and recording every move. The city's CCTV cameras make faces on the streets and even name tags of security guards of mall entrance visible.
It's a pride for every Dabawenyo, indeed to have a high-tech security system.
Although not all 65 intersections have been covered, the 16 CCTVs in 16 strategic locations is a good start in helping preempt and solve crimes.
While it is true that there is no technical solution to crime problem because it cannot intervene and take decisive action, but it will sure monitor lawlessness and hasten poilce investigation.