THE Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) chief hopes the quality of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Davao City will be improved to shorten the time of crime investigation, once the Comprehensive CCTV Plan becomes an ordinance.
PSSO head Angel Sumagaysay said the quality of CCTV videos can be helpful in determining the violators or suspects during police investigations.
He also said retrieving and getting permission for CCTV footage takes time, which gives the suspects or perpetrators sufficient time to escape.
"Kapag maging ordinance na siya, amendments to siya, hopefully may standard na talaga yung ire-require nato sa mga businesses o establishments na camera (If it becomes an ordinance, hopefully it would standardize CCTV cameras among businesses and establishments)," Sumagaysay said during iSpeak press conference on July 7.
Sumagaysay observed that most businesses and establishments are putting CCTV cameras, yet they are low-quality and only do install "for compliance".
As a member of the Technical Working Group (TWG), PSSO aims to prioritize the focus, elevation, and specifications of CCTV cameras to be used.
"Kasi kung parang compliance lang siya, sayang din, may mga investigation din na mga ahensya, dili siya maka-focus (Because if these CCTVs are for compliance only, if there will be investigations headed by agencies, chances are footages from most businesses are not clear)," Sumagaysay said.
The official said should the ordinance be approved, it will standardize CCTVs to record high-quality footage, which can be helpful in monitoring the roads in the city – not just for crimes but traffic flow as well.
CCTV footage has been crucial for crime investigations in the city.
In May of this year, an architect was allegedly found raped and murdered in Calinan last May. It was previously reported that the ongbak where the victim was riding bore a human skull and horns sticker, as shown by the footage of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera.
Meanwhile, a 70-year-old woman was easily identified after she was captured by CCTVs pulling a trolley containing the body of her 29-year-old house helper. The suspect allegedly killed and dumped the body of her house helper on the side of the road at Block 20, Lot 44, Deca Homes in Cabantian, Buhangin, Davao City at the dawn of June 18.
CCTV camera footage has also been a big topic of discussion by Dabawenyos following the recent hit-and-run incident on January 26 along Tulip Drive, McArthur Highway that killed a 22-year-old woman. The CCTV footage was claimed to be of low quality, which made some question the reliability of the installed CCTVs in the city.
However, Sumagaysay said the city has roughly 200 CCTVs and all of them are of good quality. ICE
