Following the announcement of its landmark partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) a fortnight ago, Vumacam, South Africa’s largest technology-driven CCTV network announced early successes in the fight against crime in the country’s economic heartland.

This partnership sees the GPG benefit from Vumacam’s extensive camera network and advanced crime-fighting technologies. Through the partnership with Vumacam, the GPG has immediate access to an expansive network of over 6000 cameras in Gauteng and access to partner cameras nationwide.

On 21 February, the GPG control room received an alert of a house robbery taking place in the Mondeor area. The relevant vehicle’s registration number was shared with the team and loaded onto the Vumacam platform. The SAPS highway patrol were dispatched to the last location the camera detected the vehicle in Bruma, and the suspects were pursued. Several shots were fired, and the suspect’s vehicle then collided with a stationary vehicle on the road. SAPS officers were able to intercept the vehicle, with three unlicensed firearms recovered, and four suspects arrested for their crimes.

On February 20 alone, the Vumacam network helped in four key cases, including the recovery of a stolen motorcycle. An alert within the LPR system picked up a stolen motorcycle, enabling SAPS Moffatview to be dispatched. The driver was instructed to clear the motorbike.

“The power of our technology allows our partners in the public and private sector to maximise their crime fighting resources. By putting the right people in the right place at the right time, the partnership with GPG is a further demonstration of the very tangible benefits of smart technology to protect all South Africans. We will continue to build on the collaboration between the private and public sector through technology and continue to invest in the growth of our infrastructure and platform”, Michael Varney, Chief Commercial Officer of Vumacam said.