Yongin City Installs 300 New CCTVs in 75 Crime-Prone Areas Including Residential Districts and School Routes

[Suwon Ilbo=Choi Ki-ho Reporter] Yongin Special City announced on the 12th that it will invest 2.6 billion won this year to newly install 300 CCTVs for crime prevention in 75 crime-vulnerable areas and replace 235 aging CCTVs across the city.

The new CCTV installations will be placed in crime-vulnerable areas such as residential districts, school routes, alleyways, parks, and major roads. The installation target areas were selected in consultation with the police department, taking into consideration citizens' opinions and crime data.

In addition, 235 aging CCTVs will be replaced. The goal is to improve CCTV image quality to ultra-high definition to prevent crime and create an environment where citizens can move about with confidence. LED signboards will also be installed at these locations to inform the public that CCTVs are operating during late-night hours.

Following last year, the city will also this year install smart surveillance CCTVs with AI technology in 17 crime-vulnerable areas such as hiking trails and highway underpass boxes (commonly known as 'rabbit holes'). The aim is to prevent random violent crimes and other unmotivated offenses.

The city currently operates 11,020 crime prevention CCTVs installed at 2,549 locations across the region. CCTV footage is directly managed by the 'CCTV Integrated Control Center' located on the 10th floor of City Hall. A total of 37 personnel including control room operators, police officers, and public officials work around the clock, 365 days a year.

Last year alone, the city used crime prevention CCTVs to locate and assist 107 intoxicated and homeless individuals, and responded to 850 various incidents and accidents as well as civil complaints including property damage, traffic accidents, assault and theft, emergency bell calls, and other situations.

A city official said, "We will make efforts to secure national and provincial budget funds to expand CCTV installations by identifying crime-vulnerable areas so that citizens can live more safely," and added, "The control center will pay greater attention to CCTV monitoring and respond quickly to various civil complaints so that citizens can live with peace of mind."