JamaicaEye launches today

FIVE HUNDRED cameras are expected to be activated during the initial phase of the National Closed-Circuit Television surveillance programme dubbed ‘JamaicaEye’, which will be launched today.

This public-private sector partnership is designed to allow citizens and business operators with cameras overlooking public spaces to i nput their feeds i nto t wo monitoring centres. The feeds will provide useful footage in relation to disaster and criminal activity and they will be monitored by a team of security professionals.

The national security ministry has already placed cameras in Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, May Pen, Mandeville and Negril. Two hundred government-owned cameras are projected to be complemented by 300 from citizens.

According to Minister of National Security Robert Montague, the full rollout of the project would cost nearly $3 billion over two years. He noted that JamaicaEye aligns with the ministry’s five-pillar crime-reduction strategy.

“The ministry is going on an aggressive campaign to get private camera feeds, as this will be a major step forward for the country. Jamaica is one of the few countries that has brought the use of private cameras to function in this capacity,” said Montague.

He added: “We have to take this approach, because, otherwise, the cost would be too expensive for Government alone. To outfit Kingston alone would have cost the Government over J$1 billion.”