WILLEMSTAD – There is quite a bit that went wrong with the implementation of the Camera Surveillance project of the Curaçao government. This is the conclusion of the Court of Audit. No budget was arranged in advance and the budget made available afterwards was exceeded while the project has still not been completed.
WILLEMSTAD –
There is quite a bit that went wrong with the implementation of the Camera Surveillance project of the Curaçao government. This is the conclusion of the Court of Audit. No budget was arranged in advance and the budget made available afterwards was exceeded while the project has still not been completed.
580 cameras were included in the planning. The project would be realized in four phases. 474 cameras were purchased for phases 1 and 2 and the remainder would be purchased and installed in phase 4.
580 cameras were included in the planning. The project would be realized in four phases. 474 cameras were purchased for phases 1 and 2 and the remainder would be purchased and installed in phase 4.
The project got stuck in phase 2 due to a lack of financial resources. Of the 474 cameras purchased, 212 have been installed. No evaluation has been carried out and the intended goal, all residential areas in Curaçao have cameras, has not been achieved, according to the Court of Audit.
The project got stuck in phase 2 due to a lack of financial resources. Of the 474 cameras purchased, 212 have been installed. No evaluation has been carried out and the intended goal, all residential areas in Curaçao have cameras, has not been achieved, according to the Court of Audit.
Police cars
Police cars
Part of the project were the two traffic cameras on Helmin Wiels Boulevard and sixteen cameras on police cars. The traffic cameras are both connected to the network but are not used for their intended purpose, namely to report and fine the recorded traffic violations. So they are not operational.
Part of the project were the two traffic cameras on Helmin Wiels Boulevard and sixteen cameras on police cars. The traffic cameras are both connected to the network but are not used for their intended purpose, namely to report and fine the recorded traffic violations. So they are not operational.
The cameras on the sixteen police patrol cars were intended as a means of surveillance, but were hardly used for that purpose. It turned out to be technically possible to disable the capture of images and some officers would have done this.
The cameras on the sixteen police patrol cars were intended as a means of surveillance, but were hardly used for that purpose. It turned out to be technically possible to disable the capture of images and some officers would have done this.
At the end of June of this year, none of these sixteen cameras were in use: six cars are defective and five have been declared a total loss. Of the remaining five police cars, the camera has been removed from three, one car is not being used for enforcement and the camera of the only car still being used for enforcement is not working.
At the end of June of this year, none of these sixteen cameras were in use: six cars are defective and five have been declared a total loss. Of the remaining five police cars, the camera has been removed from three, one car is not being used for enforcement and the camera of the only car still being used for enforcement is not working.
Preparation
Preparation
In April 2014, the Minister of Justice decided to prepare the project. It stopped early. A project with the company Inspur was started in June 2014 without a schedule having been drawn up and the financing requirement for the entire project was clear, such as personnel, equipment and sustainability.
In April 2014, the Minister of Justice decided to prepare the project. It stopped early. A project with the company Inspur was started in June 2014 without a schedule having been drawn up and the financing requirement for the entire project was clear, such as personnel, equipment and sustainability.
The number and type of cameras that were needed and that would be technically suitable for connection to the network in Curaçao had also not been extensively researched. Terms of Reference were missing.
The number and type of cameras that were needed and that would be technically suitable for connection to the network in Curaçao had also not been extensively researched. Terms of Reference were missing.
Nor had it yet been ascertained which legal conditions had to be met for effective camera surveillance. For example, Curaçao has no license plate liability, which means that camera images cannot be used if the driver is not recognizable. A license plate alone is not enough.
Nor had it yet been ascertained which legal conditions had to be met for effective camera surveillance. For example, Curaçao has no license plate liability, which means that camera images cannot be used if the driver is not recognizable. A license plate alone is not enough.
In addition, a minimum standard for data protection applies to all countries in the Kingdom, including Curaçao. Due to the lack of national legislation, such as a police regulation, there are still insufficient guarantees to meet this minimum for camera surveillance.
In addition, a minimum standard for data protection applies to all countries in the Kingdom, including Curaçao. Due to the lack of national legislation, such as a police regulation, there are still insufficient guarantees to meet this minimum for camera surveillance.
And even if there were license plate liability, writing out fines would still be a hefty job because it is not legally required to report a move to the registry office. Also, not all houses/apartments have a valid address.
And even if there were license plate liability, writing out fines would still be a hefty job because it is not legally required to report a move to the registry office. Also, not all houses/apartments have a valid address.
https://www.curacaochronicle.com/post/main/court-of-audit-judges-harshly-on-camera-surveillance-project/
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