BY PHUMLANI SAUL
“No photographers will harassing the public in Boardwalk again “
The 2022 festive season along the Gqeberha beachfront will likely be the safest yet.
Ringing it in on Wednesday was the launch of a hi-tech 24/7 security control room, unveiled during a Beachfront Safety Sector Forum collaborative showcase at the PE Beach Yacht Club in Summerstrand.Hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists are expected to descend on Gqeberha and can be assured of a sound holiday as law enforcement, private security and other role players work together to root out crime along the busy beachfront.Initiated in 2014 by the previous DA ward councillor, Dean Biddulph, and later taken over by the incumbent, Renaldo Gouws, it is a culmination of years-long round-table discussions cemented in June.
“The beachfront has, for a long time, not been a designated sector. It had been the only one in Nelson Mandela Bay without this,” Gouws said.
“And so, after arguing and having lots of back and forth over many years, a bunch of role players came together in June to [share ideas] about how we could resolve this.”
In the background, as sponsors — corporates, hotel groups and private institutions — finally joined the SAPS and the Metro Police to reveal the new centre for the first time, beach revellers along the shoreline added to the electric atmosphere.
Partly privately funded while the local government has committed to financing the rest, it took just 10 days to install the facility as part of an initial half-a-million-rand project.
The state-of-the-art control room boasts number plate recognition capabilities to track stolen and other suspect vehicles that link to a national database.
Beachfront safety sector project manager Sean Tappan said the control room would be developed to run facial recognition imaging using artificial intelligence (AI).
“In this way, the police will be able to look for suspects who are wanted or need to be observed.”
Emerald Fire, a forum sponsor, set up eight cameras in and around the Boardwalk precinct, including two 360° PTZ security surveillance cameras.Four static cameras have gone up in the parking area adjacent to the beach, while the rest are in the Summerstrand area.
Bay Tourism chair and forum chair Shaun van Eck said the action plan created for the project could be implemented throughout the metro.
“This is just the start.
“We can implement it in other areas like Route 67 in Central and on the northern beaches.
“Tourism routes in our townships should also be a priority,” he said.
Van Eck said residents and visitors to the city would be assured of a near incident-free beach experience.
“These are great efforts that are going to benefit the metro.
“We would like no incidents, and that is the aim of this project, to cut everything out to displace criminals from the area.
“We want our tourists to feel safer than anywhere else in our country.”
Metro Police acting commissioner Trevor Smith welcomed the collaborative effort, saying his department was ready to hit the ground running during the busy periodAmong the bylaw enforcement targets, Smith said unsolicited and illegal photography along the boardwalk, where visitors are often surprised by unknown cameramen, was a priority.
“We have a huge problem with photographers harassing the public. We plan to deal with that.
“We plan to have a 24-hour operation in the area from the centre and will, of course, collaborate with our partners in the hope that this is the most successful summer season in the Bay.”
Boardwalk Casino and Hotel general manager Tute Tsunke said the business looked forward to hosting citizens and overseas visitors on the city’s shores, free from safety concerns.
“Our investment will go a long way, and we want to be serious about it.
“It stands to protect the reputation of the city and the integrity of our business.
“It is a good initiative, and we are happy the forum opened us up to it.”
Daily Kasi News 