The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has introduced a tracking device and unveiled a call centre to improve its crime-fighting efforts.
The GPS-based, handheld device was developed by Gracan Communications and SAAB Security and Aviation Systems, and will be piloted throughout the province over a period of two years.
Named Enfora, the device will be carried by members of the Volunteer Social Crime Prevention Project (VSCPP) as they go about their daily duties in the community. The device will be connected to the Volunteer Communication and Tracking Management call centre in Durban, and will be able to track and trace the volunteers through its built-in GPS capability and Google Earth.
The call centre will direct police or emergency services to improve response time. Software integrated into the centre will allow all calls to be logged, mapped, and tracked for use in further emergency action, investigations or prosecutions.
“As we gather experience in its day-to-day use, we are establishing standard operating procedures and we will seek to roll out the project in other appropriate areas in the province. This is an important technological step forward, which will assist us in bringing peace and stability to our communities,” says KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport, community safety and liaison Willies Mchunu.
Improving communication
“This call centre has been set up to improve communication, monitoring and evaluation of the VSCPP. It allows us to use technology to loosen the grip that criminals have on our society. Criminals, if given an opportunity, would not hesitate to use the kind of technology we are witnessing here today for their own gain, so why shouldn't we?” says Mchunu.
Initially, the device will cover around 1 100 volunteers in Durban and the Jozini area up to the border with Mozambique, and this number is expected to grow as the project is extended.
The phone function on the handset will also allow the call centre to initiate voice communication with community safety volunteers wherever they are dealing with an incident. An integrated battery will ensure the device cannot be switched off by the volunteers.
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