Police now have security ring on East Bank, Harbour Bridge with live video feeds

Apr 18, 2019 News

General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation Rawlston Adams explaining some of the workings of the server and other equipment.

Authorities are quietly building their arsenal in the fight against crime.
One of the biggest weapons, it has now emerged, will be security cameras on the East Bank Demerara.
For several months now, the Demerara Harbour Bridge has been working quietly to hook up cameras on the five overhead walkways located between Diamond and Houston, East Bank Demerara.
With the cameras at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the police have in reality locked down an entire area, one of the busiest in the country. The cameras have the capability of picking up hit-and-run vehicles and robbers getting away from scenes.
The disclosures were made Monday by the bridge corporation’s General Manager, Rawlston Adams, during an update of the activities that are underway by the state-owned company.
Adams disclosed that for several years now, to improve the operations of the 40-year-old bridge, a number of initiatives were undertaken. One of them was security at both ends of the bridge. Using its own funds, staffers and equipment, the corporation was able to install security cameras.
The cameras were then linked to the police’s operations, with the live feeds used to solve a number of crimes.
A few months ago, thanks to government’s ongoing programme to inter-connect its state entities, a fibre cable was dropped at the Harbour Bridge office.

This overhead walkway at Diamond, EBD, like the rest, has security cameras providing live video feeds.

“The possibilities of fibre are endless. We literally have at our fingertips the possibilities of changing how we do business because of connectivity.”
And the changes are happening.
There are five overhead walkways built over the last two years. They are located at Diamond, Providence, Peter’s Hall, Eccles and Houston. On them, the Harbour Bridge staffers have placed more than three dozen cameras transmitting videos to servers and then to the authorities that are monitoring.
In the coming weeks, it is the plan to install about two dozen more directly overlooking the traffic lane.
According to Adams, with the bridge being linked to the database of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), there are other possibilities.
“So we are looking at a system where we could be able to identify if a vehicle has a wrong plate, based on colours or vehicle make. Our system will red-flag it, and it will be sent to the authorities.”

The Demerara Harbour Bridge has been working with authorities in the fight against crime.

With 60 cameras between Diamond and Houston and those on the Demerara Harbour Bridge, a ring has been created in a hotspot area.
According to Adams, the Demerara Bridge has been investing in some of the best servers and storage equipment.
“We decided to push the limit. We started sending things years ago to the police. It is definitely bandwidth that is helping.”
The cameras will also in the long run serve to help map traffic patterns, something the Bridge authorities and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure have been working on. Congestion is a major issue.
Adams explained that as long as an accident occurs and it is ascertained that a particular vehicle is involved, it becomes easy to help solve a crime.
“If somebody said to me the car is a greenish car…that is all I need to know, along with the time. We can check the overhead walkway cameras and if that is not clear, we go to the next one. Maybe, he or she will have to stop at a traffic light and we can get the number plates. We can pull in vehicles, check for damage, and that is how you are able to piece together things.”
The bridge disclosed earlier this week also that it is testing an automated toll collective system to help make traffic management easier and reduce waiting time.