KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 – Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) requires at least 20,000 units of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to be installed throughout the capital to monitor crime and traffic congestion issues.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said currently, there are 5,000 CCTV units installed across the city for this purpose.
However, he said the CCTV installations cannot be undertaken solely by DBKL but require cooperation from ministries, departments and agencies, especially the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
“Towards this end, DBKL is responsible for seeking funding for installation, monitoring and surveillance. DBKL, in cooperation with these departments and agencies, needs at least 20,000 CCTV units, meaning that from now until the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), this effort must be carried out.
“We learn from Smart City and Safe City initiatives in other countries that with high-definition (HD) and facial recognition CCTV, crime rates and accidents can be reduced, and other monitoring issues can be managed without infringing on personal rights,” he told reporters this after chairing the Cabinet Committee on road safety and traffic congestion (JKMKKJR) meeting on Monday.
