CBD rated safest city in Africa

200 cameras in operation KEVIN MAYHEW THE INNER city of Johannesburg - with infrastructure and capital investment totalling around R60 billion – is not only the safest city in Africa and the continent’s only world-class city but has also become the major destination for investment. Over the past five years very significant strides have been made in the city’s revitalisation, with inner-city crime steadily brought under control by Cueincident’s electronic surveillance camera network – working very closely with the SA Police and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police. And it is this dramatic decline in street crime - down by more than 85% since the introduction in April 2000 of the Cueincident inner-city surveillance system – that has set the scene for the CBD’s resurgence as Africa’s economic and financial generator. Downtown Johannesburg plays host to more than one million people daily, and accounts for some 12% of the nation’s employment. A report on the city’s revival commissioned by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), confirmed recently that “overall confidence is growing in the inner city, with the future looking positive”. In terms of the freight and transport industry, specifically with regard to deliveries within the CBD area, the heightened security in operation within the city can only be good news. From the Operations Centre in the Carlton tower block, Cueincident monitors ongoing activity in the city on a 24/7 basis. More than 160 operators, working in teams of three and on 12-hour shifts, ‘patrol’ the city using state-of-the-art CCTV cameras. “We are able to observe over time, without being seen, and this can be very effective in identifying illicit activities and being able to round up all the parties involved,” says Neville Huxham, Cueincident’s head of marketing. Vehicle movements in the city are continually monitored, and any suspicious activity – such as surreptitious or over-hasty unloading – are noted and recorded. Cash-in-transit vehicles are followed on their rounds through the city, and it is possible for vehicle owners to keep track of suspect activities. Unlike many other CCTV operations, Cueincident’s video output is designed specifically to meet the requirements of the courts, and the system is the only one in the world that operates to ISO 9001:2000 standards – the highest technical operating standards in the world. And the positive effects of Cueincident’s efforts – in co-operation with SAPS and the Joburg Metro Police – are everywhere to be seen. One very obvious example of the success of the city’s redevelopment is the revitalisation of the Carlton Centre, once the focal point of downtown business activity. Originally built in the early 1970s by Anglo American Corporation, the R1 billion mega-development features Africa’s highest office tower-block and one of the continent’s former great hotels - the Carlton. However, after two decades, the complex slipped into disuse and closed down, primarily because rampant crime in the CBD had driven away businesspeople and visitors alike. In 1999 Transnet acquired the entire property for R32 million, and embarked on a major renovation programme. Today, with the 50-floor business tower fully let and the retail shopping area again bustling proudly, there is even talk of re-opening the Carlton Hotel to crown Transnet’s successful renovation project. There are many other examples within the inner-city of the dramatic turnaround that is taking place. One of the most high-profile developers is Urban Oceans, whose Alfonso Botha is responsible for the renovation of many older buildings into luxury apartments that are selling for around one million rand. All the major property owners and developers are also reporting significant interest in building renovation and development. Cueincident’s 200-camera operation covers some 30 sq kms of the inner city, and ranks among the most cost-effective and efficient electronic facilities management systems in the world.