The recent case of the little girl, Jouri Al-Khaledi, who was kidnapped around two weeks ago and was rescued by police last week, makes a strong case for the installation of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at strategic locations in order to curb crime — especially abductions of children. CCTV are primarily set up for surveillance and security purposes allowing for strategic placement of cameras, and observation of the camera's input on monitors controlled by authorities. The kidnapping of the girl child and the hunt for the kidnappers and the eventual rescue had gripped the nation after the initial shock of such an inhumane act committed in Saudi society. An unknown man had abducted the little girl from a Riyadh polyclinic. The camera caught the man luring and taking the girl away from inside a polyclinic — as the footage showed the man approaching her. The incident sparked universal anger with many calling for tougher punishment on those committing such crimes and some calling on families to be more careful when they are outside with their children. They stressed that there's a need to keep a close eye on them and their whereabouts. While all these calls are relevant and appreciable, one thing that flashed in my mind was the absolute need of the hour. What we badly need is to install CCTV cameras on the streets. It was reported that because there was no CCTV camera outside the polyclinic — while only a small footage was available from the polyclinic CCTV — that it delayed the process of finding Jouri. In my opinion, this point has some merit, and it is pertinent. Had a CCTV camera been installed on the street outside the polyclinic, or at a strategic place near it, then it could have been of assistance to the police in following and arresting the suspect, and tracking and finding Jouri would have been faster and easier. All studies have proven that installing surveillance cameras on streets has been one of the great factors in reducing crime rates and helping police in their numerous search efforts. The two cities that I know that have used video cameras to good effect are London and Dubai. They are a perfect example of a good city that is covered by CCTV. Cameras have a positive effect on reducing crimes and assisting police in evidence collection. I do not want to cite the many examples of crimes and problems solved because of CCTV — because they are far too many. A classical example of how CCTV played an important role is in the Boston explosion. By painstakingly going over the footages of CCTV in the vicinity where the explosion occurred, police was able to determine the identity and movement of the attackers and also able to make a swift arrest. To those who are against such a move or those who are not convinced of the importance of CCTV, just look at the impact the Saher cameras had when they were installed on highways and major intersections. It helped a lot in reducing accident rates and traffic violations. That is a fact. That the installation of surveillance cameras would incur an initial governmental expenditure is a fact, but in the end it could prove to be cost effective. It would also streamline the manpower needs and man-hours of those policing our streets. CCTV if installed in our streets will definitely reduce crimes and also inhibit negative behavior, such as trashing and damaging public property and harassment of women. It would also result in a swift crack down on those undesirable elements. The recent case of harassment against two girls in Jeddah corniche few months back is another case in point. Because there was no CCTV in that area, police had to rely on the video clips circulating in social media to identify the harassers. Now just imagine if there had been CCTVs covering the corniche area, then the job of the police would have been much easier. In addition, the knowledge that there are cameras watching their actions, could have proven a deterrent to these misguided youths. I do not know why we are late in installing CCTVs, but it is better late than never. When it comes to technology, we have shown ourselves to be adept and capable in mastering it. And it is this facet that could help our police handle these modern day surveillance cameras in policing the society, which is in dire need of CCTVs to prevent all sorts of crimes, including child kidnapping. CCTV is installed in almost every corner in London and I have seen how when someone is attacked or harassed, police is quick to collect evidence and make an arrest. We need CCTV cameras outside and around our schools to detect violation, whether from the students themselves or from outside elements. The same way the camera disciplines drivers on the road, it will discipline people's behavior on the street. A thief will think twice before breaking into a store with a surveillance camera around. Even if an attacker or a thief covers his face, like in many cases, the cameras will still give police information about their physical features, mannerisms and dress from which they can put together a possible lead for them to pursue. Let us start small and end big. Police need to install CCTVs starting with major streets on the neighborhoods with incremental installations from there. It took years to install Saher cameras on our roads and major intersections. But if we plan properly, the cameras can be placed in many locations such that if the thieves and reckless people, who are destroying public property, or not deterred then they will think twice before committing a violation. The writer can be reached at [email protected] Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
