Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano is set to launch super-smart closed-circuit cameras (CCTVs) in major cities of the state on Friday.
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Mr C.Don Adinuba, in a statement on Wednesday, said the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, was expected to lead the commissioning.
He said the technology-driven security initiative, known as the second phase of Operation Kpochapu (Operation Wipeout Crime), would first be installed in Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha, before being extended to other parts of the state.
Adinuba revealed that 109 vehicles have been procured and equipped with state-of-the-art electronic devices to work in unison with the super-smart gadgets.
He said selected police officers had in the last two months been undergoing training on how to operate both the CCTVs and the equipment in the vehicles.
The statement partly read, “The Smart City Security Project was inspired by the governor’s visit to Massachusetts, United States, in October 2018, when he toured places like the Cambridge Innovation Centre, Boston University and Industrial Video and Control in Boston.
“He was struck among other things, the sophisticated surveillance cameras from Industrial Video and Control, developed in conjunction with researchers at the Cambridge Innovation Centre and other research centres in Massachusetts.
“These products proved effective in helping the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to identify the two brothers from originally Kyrgyzstan, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, that on April 15, 2013, bombed participants in the annual Boston Marathon, killed three persons and injured many others, including 16 who lost their legs”.
While reiterating Obiano’s commitment to using advanced technology to fight crime and protect lives and property, the commissioner maintained that the cameras were not yet in some American cities and states.
He explained that the governor opted for the solar-powered type of gadgets to ensure 24 hours daily effective operation in view of the nation’s erratic power supply.
“Governor Obiano felt that they should be installed in Anambra State so that it will remain Nigeria’s safest state and as a result attract considerable investments.
“In the more developed countries of the world, technology has proved immensely useful in crime detection and prevention.
“We have already cited the example of how FBI’s use of the latest surveillance cameras from the Cambridge Innovation Centre assisted to unmask the 2013 Boston Marathon bombers,” he added.
