Casablanca to Install 800 New Surveillance Cameras, Boosting Urban Security

"The metropolis has 210 video surveillance cameras and in the coming days, this system will be strengthened to reach 800 surveillance installations to ensure the coverage of 90% of the boulevards of the economic capital of the country," announced Abdellah El Ouardi, police prefect of Casablanca in an interview with the newspaper Assabah. Video surveillance camera control allows "the regulation of road traffic, the detection of incidents and violations of the Highway Code, the mobilization of security services and the identification of suspicious objects, persons and vehicles," he specified.

The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has put in place a strategy characterized by anticipation and immediate action with the implementation of an effective deployment of its elements on the ground, in order to combat crime in all its forms, the official said. This strategy is bearing fruit. "The results of this approach have been conclusive, with a significant decrease in petty and serious crime," he stressed. "Snatching and assaults remain isolated incidents, sometimes amplified on social networks," he noted.

In addition to the acquisition of surveillance cameras, the DGSN plans to purchase motorcycles that will be made available to police units. "The police units will be equipped with motorcycles and human and logistical resources in order to be able to intervene immediately on the basis of the information collected by the number 19," announced Abdellah El Ouardi.