CRIMINALS can commit serious crimes at Johannesburg taxi ranks without being detected because the facilities do not have crime-monitoring systems.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) says that out of 237 CCTV cameras installed to monitor crime in the city centre and surrounding areas, not one is inside taxi ranks, including the notorious Noord Street.
But the City of Johannesburg's Metro Trading Company, which is responsible for administration of taxi ranks in the city, says it has cameras installed at Noord and Bree Street taxi ranks in central Johannesburg and at Chris-Hani Baragwanath taxi rank in Soweto.
MTC acting CEO Justice Mashele said some crimes, such as the highly publicised attack on Soweto's Nwabisa Ngcukana at the Noord Street taxi rank six years ago, might not have been captured due to the poor quality of the cameras.
Ngcukana was stripped at the rank for wearing a miniskirt in February 2006. No one was arrested for the incident.
JMPD spokeswoman Inspector Edna Mamonyane insisted that there were no cameras inside the taxi ranks and, as a result, they did not receive calls to respond to any crime happening inside the ranks.
Mamonyane could not say why there were no cameras inside the taxi ranks, which belong to the city and are managed by MTC.
Mashele said MTC had 38 CCTV cameras at Noord Street and 86 at Bree Street.
Sowetan observed the CCTV crime-monitoring operations from the metro police's operating centre and saw a number of criminals being arrested while committing crimes or running away from the scene. Many incidents, especially muggings, took place outside taxi ranks.
The operators, who are trained to spot suspicious-looking people, radio field marshals with directions to where a crime is likely being committed.
In one incident in Hillbrow, a group of eight pretended to be construction workers and stole copper cables from a manhole.
They put cones around the manhole and cordoned it off with red tape. One went underground with a saw to cut the cable. Police arrested them during the process.
The country's other big metro councils all employ CCTV cameras as crime-busting devices. They all say that the equipment has helped reduce crime.
Spokesman for eThekwini municipality, Senior Superintendent Eugene Msomi, said it worked at former crime hot spots like the beachfront and Durban city centre.
Cape Town's Richard Bosman said the city had cameras installed in the city centre and Goodwood.
Ekurhuleni and Tshwane confirmed they had crime-monitoring cameras, but could not give details. - xabav@sowetan.co.za
Cameras out of focus at taxi ranks
CRIMINALS can commit serious crimes at Johannesburg taxi ranks without being detected because the facilities do not have crime-monitoring systems.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) says that out of 237 CCTV cameras installed to monitor crime in the city centre and surrounding areas, not one is inside taxi ranks, including the notorious Noord Street.
But the City of Johannesburg's Metro Trading Company, which is responsible for administration of taxi ranks in the city, says it has cameras installed at Noord and Bree Street taxi ranks in central Johannesburg and at Chris-Hani Baragwanath taxi rank in Soweto.
MTC acting CEO Justice Mashele said some crimes, such as the highly publicised attack on Soweto's Nwabisa Ngcukana at the Noord Street taxi rank six years ago, might not have been captured due to the poor quality of the cameras.
Ngcukana was stripped at the rank for wearing a miniskirt in February 2006. No one was arrested for the incident.
JMPD spokeswoman Inspector Edna Mamonyane insisted that there were no cameras inside the taxi ranks and, as a result, they did not receive calls to respond to any crime happening inside the ranks.
Mamonyane could not say why there were no cameras inside the taxi ranks, which belong to the city and are managed by MTC.
Mashele said MTC had 38 CCTV cameras at Noord Street and 86 at Bree Street.
Sowetan observed the CCTV crime-monitoring operations from the metro police's operating centre and saw a number of criminals being arrested while committing crimes or running away from the scene. Many incidents, especially muggings, took place outside taxi ranks.
The operators, who are trained to spot suspicious-looking people, radio field marshals with directions to where a crime is likely being committed.
In one incident in Hillbrow, a group of eight pretended to be construction workers and stole copper cables from a manhole.
They put cones around the manhole and cordoned it off with red tape. One went underground with a saw to cut the cable. Police arrested them during the process.
The country's other big metro councils all employ CCTV cameras as crime-busting devices. They all say that the equipment has helped reduce crime.
Spokesman for eThekwini municipality, Senior Superintendent Eugene Msomi, said it worked at former crime hot spots like the beachfront and Durban city centre.
Cape Town's Richard Bosman said the city had cameras installed in the city centre and Goodwood.
Ekurhuleni and Tshwane confirmed they had crime-monitoring cameras, but could not give details. - xabav@sowetan.co.za
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