A TOTAL of 1,200 new closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will go online this month to better manage traffic in the city under the revamped Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS). Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officer Mohd Hisham Izhar said the new CCTV cameras will be monitored by a 30-membe
A TOTAL of 1,200 new closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will go online this month to better manage traffic in the city under the revamped Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS).
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officer Mohd Hisham Izhar said the new CCTV cameras will be monitored by a 30-member team.
“The new ITIS can help the police and DBKL traffic personnel oversee traffic conditions. A 30-member team is expected to monitor live feeds from the 1,200 cameras in various locations.
“When an officer monitoring the feed spots traffic congestion building up in a particular area, he can immediately inform our personnel or traffic cops to manage the situation.
“This will greatly improve our efficiency and speed in managing traffic flow,” he said after leading a team of 44 officers from various departments in a two-hour Ops Halang operation yesterday.
The new ITIS will also help prevent crime as it is learnt officers manning the CCTV live feed will comprise both police and DBKL personnel.
If a crime is spotted on one of the video feeds, the officer will alert the area's district police control centre which will relay the information to the crime prevention patrol units on the ground who will then rush to the scene.
Mohd Hisham said they have learnt lessons from the poor handling of ITIS which was launched in 2005. Only a handful of the 300 cameras under the system are still operational.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib called for an open tender for new contractors to revive ITIS last year. GTC Global Sdn Bhd won the RM200mil contract and the company was recently acquired by Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM).
The new, improved version is expected to be more cost-effective and deter vandals. Instead of copper cables, TM will use fibre optics. Security has also been enhanced with an automated alarm system.
The new and improved cameras, especially at major traffic junctions in the city, have been fitted with 360 degree turning capability and speakers to alert motorists.
The system is already operational at several locations in the city.
Mohd Hisham hoped that the new CCTVs could also pick up traffic violations by taxis, buses, lorries and private car owners.
“Now it is a cat-and-mouse game with taxi drivers who park indiscriminately along the road. Within minutes, their action can cause a serious traffic congestion, especially in areas such as Jalan Bukit Bintang.
“We hope the CCTVs can be used to track repeat offenders and SPAD (Land Public Transport Commission) can use this information to take action, including revoking their permits,” he said.
He said ITIS was urgently needed especially since the MRT construction would continue until 2016.
“Until the project is fully completed, everyone will have to bear with major traffic congestions in Kuala Lumpur but the CCTVs will be a great help,” he said.
A total of 81 compound notices were issued for various traffic offences committed along Jalan Ampang, Jalan Lebuh Pasar, Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Tun HS Lee while two cars were towed for blocking traffic.
Officers from the Immigration Department who were also present, detained four men — three Bangladeshi and an Indonesian — for not possessing valid identification documents.
Mohd Hisham said this was the 13th Ops Halang this year with 1,694 compound notices issued for various offences.