'SECONDS OUT! Round one!'
This staccato announcement heralds a new, vigorous onslaught in the fight against crime within the Port of Cape Town with port operations manager Malcolm Green revealing new soon-to-be-implemented security measures.
In an exclusive interview with FTW last week, he confirmed Cape Town would become the first port to receive sophisticated security equipment during the current financial year, aimed at dramatically curbing theft and other dishonest practices.
At the heart of the the new system is a camera surveillance network similar to that in use by Business Against Crime - another 'first' initiative for the Mother City - which has achieved spectacular results in reducing crime levels by as much as 400% in the inner city.
Green said ports traditionally attracted all kinds of elements and while it was true the authority was incurring losses due to theft he believed the situation was improving. What we are primarily concerned with is the well-being and safety of cargo in the port, particularly containers.
According to Chris Rall, risk manager in the port, the
R9 million camera network can accommodate up to
64 cameras but 17 will be installed at the onset. I don't think we will require more than 30 for the current situation, he told me.
The network will be housed in an existing building being refurbished at
J-berth, manned by two operators per shift.
Other stepped-up security measures in the offing are:
l Swipe access cards to all operational areas.
l Cameras to photograph all entering these areas and record relevant details such as time of arrival and destination.
l Upgrading of perimeter mesh fencing in all operational areas.
l A mobile scanner costing upward of R23 million
l Finer-tuned orchestration on communication and co-operation between all the role players - customs, immigration, security, health etc.
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