Vélez-Málaga is hoping to be able to install CCTV cameras throughout the municipality and the Local Police are already preparing a report on just how many cameras will be needed.
The idea is to have security cameras on all public buildings, including schools and colleges, at known traffic black spots and in some of the outer areas where normal police presence is less than adequate due to manpower levels.
The objective is to improve surveillance, ensure prompt action in emergencies, combat vandalism and even deter robberies and burglaries. The Council is hoping to include the project in the Plan Zapatero for 2010, although other means of funding are also being considered.
Before any such system can be installed, however, approval must be gained from the Supervisory Committee of the Superior Court of Justice of Andalucia (TSJA) and there are strict rules in place governing the installation and use of such surveillance systems, hence not many municipalities have them.
Images taken by such security cameras are supervised by the National Police and can be used as evidence in a court of law where the commission of a crime has been recorded. These tapes must be made available to the judicial authority within 72 hours, otherwise they must be destroyed within a period of one month.