Surveillance camera plan scrapped

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-20 13:29

A recently-installed camera scans the area in Xiajia Hutong, Fengtai district.

A plan to install surveillance cameras in high crime community in Fengtai district has been postponed because of lack of financial support from the government, police said.

The district government said in October it planned to install the cameras in a further 80 rented apartment buildings to improve security.

It followed a successful pilot project where cameras were installed in three buildings in March.

But Hao Peng, deputy police inspector of Fanjiacun police station, said they had met the local government twice this year, but this plan had been laid aside, and it seemed unlikely to be brought back on to the government's schedule soon.

"It surpasses our duty to ask for money from the local government, but the plan of finishing the installation in the whole community within this year seems unlikely now. So it is hard to say when surveillance cameras will be installed across the whole district as we planned," Hao said.

Fengtai district is home to one fifth of Beijing's migrant workers. There are 7,973 non-native residents living in 83 apartment buildings in the Xiajia Hutong community, Fengtai district.

According to the statistics on Beijing government's website, there were 2.6 million people from other cities working in Beijing by the end of 2008, and Fengtai district houses about 489,000 - nearly 20 percent.

"There were at least 20 burglary cases reported every year in every building in Xiajia Hutong," said Liu Songyang, a police officer from Fanjiacun police station and in charge of Xiajia Hutong's security.

"But we have not had any reports of burglary from the three buildings after the owners set up the surveillance system in March."

Hao said: "The three buildings with surveillance cameras were the experimental units in Xiajia Hutong, and they planed to install cameras the other 80 buildings in the community by the end of this year.

"Next year, Fengtai police will take Xiajia Hutong community as an example and promote the surveillance system all over Fengtai district."

The cost of installing cameras is 10,000 yuan for each building. Residents would contribute 4,000 yuan for each building and the local government planned to pay the remaining 6,000 yuan.

The number of tenants in Xiajia Hutong has increased from 2,500 in 2003 to 7,939 this year.

"There are about 1,000 people moving in and out in this community every month, so the surveillance system is a good way to help us to watch over the security situation," Liu said.

Chen Hongjie, a taxi driver who has picked up passengers near Xiajia Hutong for five years, said he had witnessed many robberies and fights in the community.

"Many passengers, especially girls, complain to me that they are afraid of walking on the pedestrian bridge linking to Xiajia Hutong, because there are always robbers waiting for them," Chen said.