City of Cape Town begins rollout of body cameras to law enforcement officers

The City of Cape Town is on a hi-tech drive to make communities safer and law enforcement officers more accountable.

The municipality has equipped law enforcement officers with dash and body cameras. The technology will also have automatic number plate recognition.

Authorities say that the dashcams, which were installed in its highway patrol unit last year, already yields results.

City of Cape Town officials say the dash and body-cam technology will improve the quality of evidence gathering, ensuring more convictions.

The City says it will also increase public trust in law enforcement.

About 800 law enforcement officers will be equipped with body cams, while nearly 300 vehicles will be fitted with dashcams.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says it will complement the already used technology like drone and shot spotter technology, which registers gun shots in volatile areas.

The municipality aims to rollout the dash and body cams to each law enforcement officer and vehicle over the next few years.

It says global evidence shows a drop in attacks on law enforcement officers after the introduction of these cameras.

The video footage can be livestreamed or recorded at a central control hub.

The latest technology rollout forms part of the City’s R860-million investment over the next three years. It includes the use of drones, aerial surveillance and Licence Plate Recognition

More details in the report below: