Guidelines on CCTVs necessary to ensure effectiveness in combating crime

SUBANG JAYA: There is a need to establish a set of guidelines on CCTV installation in Malaysia to ensure it can be an effective tool in combating crime.
Selangor police chief Datuk Mazlan Mansor said broken and poorly maintained CCTVs had previously hampered police efforts in resolving cases.
He added it was timely for Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) to suggest for a national policy on CCTVs be established in regulating them.
"We have previous cases where CCTVs were not maintained after installation. When we need them (recording), it was broken.
"We need to scrutinise the usage of CCTVs especially in terms of preventing crimes and providing assistance in criminal investigations," he told a press conference after attending a townhall session on crime and drug abuse prevention at Sunway University.
Earlier during the discussion, MCPF had suggested for the establishment of such national policy to ensure installed CCTVs could play an effective role in crime prevention.
Meanwhile, MCPF vice-chairman Datuk Ayub Yaakob said Malaysia should emulate other developed nations where guidelines were made in standardising the role of CCTVs.
He said while billions of ringgit were spent in Malaysia on CCTVs, most of them were not installed using a standardised method.
"We have to make sure that all of the CCTVs contribute (towards crime prevention) and not merely to fulfil the insurance requirements," he said.
"We believe it is time for Malaysia to set up its own national policy on CCTVs as we are preparing to become a developed nation," he added.