As crime continues to permeate the very fabric of T&T, the community of Tunapuna is fighting back.
It is however, using intelligence and surveillance monitoring not only to safeguard businesses but also citizens.
This is all being done through an initiative called the Silent Operating System (SOS) which is the brainchild of the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council, whose president is Neil Boodoosingh.
The Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GTCIC) headed by Ramon Gregorio is also playing an instrumental part in bringing the measure to fruition by helping to source much needed financing.
Boodoosingh shared the insights about SOS with the Sunday Business Guardian and his hopes for future expansion throughout the country.
Why the SOS?
Boodoosingh noted the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council has been in existence for three years and during that time extensive work has been done in crime prevention including setting up ten neighbourhood watch groups.
“Almost every other week we go out to businesses with the police to find out what they need and they told us they want some form of connection directly to the police. We then partnered with a tech company and we designed the SOS to suit the needs of the businesses in Tunapuna,” Boodoosingh said.
What is the SOS initiative?
According to Boodoosingh, it involves installing cameras to monitor businesses in Tunapuna and this feed will be directly linked to various law enforcement arms and with the touch of a button help will be sent.
“There is a panic button installed in a business which is linked to two key fobs, one of which can be with the owner and the other with the manager or extra key fobs can be ordered. If there is an emergency in your business, you deploy and this sends out a signal to the Tunapuna Police Station, to the Municipal Police and also to the National Operations Centre at Maloney.
“It works hand-in-hand with the cameras because when you send out the signal those cameras at the particular business will immediately come up on the monitors of those law enforcement arms so the police will know exactly what they are going to face if there is a problem. That is why the camera system is so important to work with the SOS...We have to find innovative ways to fight crime and use technology to our advantage because the bandits are using it,” Boodoosingh said.
He added that in the event of a robbery for instance, such footage will make it easier for the police to identify would-be perpetrators and even the “get-away vehicles” to enable quicker apprehension.
In sharing further specifics, he said the council has partnered with a tech company that is reputable. The police service and the tech company will not only provide cameras but also maintenance “for the life of it,” Boodoosingh said.
He said in the first instance, the objective is to roll-out 100 cameras with eight already being up and running.
“Before the end of next week, we should have at least about 30 to 40 cameras up and running but the SOS will not perform until those 100 cameras are up and running,” Boodoosingh said.
Thus far, he said the “catchment area” for the SOS spans from Scotiabank at St John’s Road to the bridge just after Prices Supermarket.
Noting that 300 businesses to date have come on board, Boodoosgingh said, “We did a lot of walkabouts with officers of the Tunapuna Station and the response has been overwhelming as everybody is on board.”
H noted that the participating businesses range from small entities like muffler shops, food places and convenience stores to larger ones including supermarkets and bars.
Most of these businesses, are family-oriented, Boodoosingh added.
In sharing how the cameras will work, he said these will be installed on the roadway which will cover about three to four businesses.
“You would not put a camera next to each other because that will defeat the purpose. The camera has a span and gives a certain amount of footage maybe 100 metres and in some instances up to 500 metres. So we have divided the cost of maintenance to accommodate the amount of businesses.
“Instead of paying $200 to maintain a camera, a business will now pay $66 per month which it $2 per day...when the camera breaks down we have a company that will fix it immediately,” Boodoosingh added.
Although most businesses already have cameras on their premises, Boodoosingh said owners are unwilling to hand over footage when a crime occurs.
“Sometimes they feel that if they show footage that comes from their compound and it reaches a different stage where it goes to court for instance, and someone is charged and they might have to give evidence as to where the footage came from. They might say the camera was not working. Yet you will see that footage on social media but it is not actual footage the police will have access to.
“No private business will put themselves at risk to give that footage. With these 100 cameras we are starting with the police do not have to ask anyone to use the footage,” Boodoosingh explained.
The council also wants to establish two monitoring rooms; one at the Tunapuna Station and the other at the Municipal Police which falls under the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation.
“Inclusive of those two rooms and the cameras we are looking at $300,000. Then there is the panic button aspect of it. These are priced according to the risk because different types of businesses have different risks,” Boodoosingh said.
He said an entire SOS system which includes the panic button, cameras, maintenance and direct link to law enforcement bodies could range between $2,000 and $5,000, depending on the nature and the risk of the business.
Once the roll-out is completed in Tunapuna, Boodoosingh is hoping the SOS will be implemented in other parts of the country.
“The other part of the country we are looking at is Chaguanas, but Tunapuna is going to be a pilot project.
“We estimate we should have everything up and running before Carnival and the cameras will definitely be up before Christmas. We hope that when it is up and running in Tunapuna it will go to other communities immediately because when the rogue element realises what is happening in Tunapuna they will go to another community,” Boodoosingh added.
The Sunday Business Guardian also reached out to the Greater Tunapuna Chamber’s president who bemoaned the current crime situation, stating that a robust approach must be taken in dealing with criminal elements.
Noting that Tunapuna falls under the north eastern and north central regions, Gregorio said there was a recent report that showed crime was on the increase along the east/west corridor.
“The SOS system is a solution that the GTCIC is keen to see up and running as it represents an opportunity for businesses to feel a bit safer in conducting their daily operations knowing that there is a strong security network available to them if needed.
“This is a landmark solution for the crime situation in Tunapuna and if done correctly and is adequately sustained, it can serve to be a beacon of hope in the national fight against crime and can be quickly adopted across the nation,” Gregorio added.
Echoing similar sentiments were Tunapuna businesses that the Sunday Guardian also contacted.
They agreed the SOS system would not only make them feel safer but also their community.