With the hopes of reducing crime in the area, Bedfordview CPF (BCPF) has started making use of technology at its disposal.
BCPF chairperson, Gavin Henry, told the NEWS that the CPF have recently started using drones and are planning to install license plate recognition cameras in the Bedfordview area.
The drones used by the CPF were first launched at the end of March.
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Henry said the drones, owned by community members, are used to survey open pieces of land.
He said they are used to monitor any illegal activity on the open land.
“We have received some pushback from the community, but the police are aware of our endeavours,” said Henry.
This is due to some community concerns about privacy.
Henry said they do not send the drone out at night, as this proves to be difficult to receive any attainable data.
The CPF is planning on installing the License Plate Recognition Camera (LPR) which is a camera that identifies license plates, on Van Buuren Road.
The CPF sees this as a way to check wanted plates in the area and to alert authorities.
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“There is a SAPS approved database of license plates, where we can pick up any wanted plates in the area,” said Henry.
Henry said they are hoping to get a go-ahead to install more cameras, as these cameras work in a network.
This can also help to reduce follow-home robberies, where the camera can identify the wanted license plate from the area it began.
The camera will be able to pick up make and colour of the vehicle and search for it in the database.
Henry said the cameras can view 10 vehicles before and 10 vehicles after coming and going, making it easier to pick up the vehicle or any vehicle it is searching for.
Areas which are currently using LPR cameras are Greenstone and Bryanston.
Henry said the drones and the LPR are sponsored by “committed residents”.
The BCPF are seeking more community sponsorship to place more cameras and acquire more drones.
