Kenton and Bushman’s get 16 CCTV cameras

Sixteen surveillance cameras will be installed at Bushman's River and Kenton-on-Sea, after community organisations signed an agreement with Hi-Tec Security to monitor crime hot-spots at the coastal resorts.

The Kenton-on-Sea Ratepayers’ Association, Bushman’s River Ratepayers’ Association and Merry Hill Property Owners’ Association, as well as the Kenton/Bushman’s Chamber of Business and Tourism, have joined forces with the security company to have the 16 CCTV cameras installed and set up to record and monitor activities in the area.

Some have already been installed the commercial banking area, the marina, Westbourne Road and William Way in Kenton-on-Sea, and the R72 bridge, slipway and entrance to the Red Apple complex at Bushman’s River Mouth.

Hi-Tec Security Coastal manager Gavin Wille said individuals and businesses in Kenton-on-Sea and Bushman’s River Mouth were being encouraged to support the camera initiative by contributing R120 a year to a camera security fund, in the hope that it will safeguard the interests of all parties involved in the community camera network.

According to Wille, the cameras at the entrance and exit to Kenton-on-Sea off the R72 can record sufficient detail to identify vehicle registration numbers. “This will enable Hi-Tec Coastal and the police to monitor traffic movement, especially during high-crime periods," said Wille.

The cameras are connected to a large-screen display station and a network recorder, already in place at the Hi-Tec Coastal premises in Kenton-on-Sea. Wille said wireless network access points, serviced by Port Elizabeth-based provider iTTS, was in place and would be upgraded as funds become available, as would further fencing and lighting projects.

Wille said, “The overall camera coverage now in place is considered to be of general benefit to all members of the Kenton and Bushman’s communities.”