« There should be a deterrent power in them »
Police in the metropolitan area have built the watchdogs in many places in the capital. Pocket theft has increased significantly in Reykjavik recently, but police say people are lost to the country « who are doing this systematically ».
« There are cameras that are our eyes and ears in these places where we did not have cameras, » says Guðmundur Pétur Guðmundsson, a police officer with the police in the capital area, asked in the guards that have now been erected at Skólavörðustíg and Hallgrímskirkja.
« They are then related to this network of security cameras that the police and the City of Reykjavik are in collaboration.
The new guards will help the police resolve all kinds of issues, although the reason for their emergence is mainly pocket theft.
The towers are intended to strengthen the determination of crime, help to solve issues that arise and enhance the safety sense of passers -by.
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« Strengthening the determination of crime »
Asked what is causing an increase in pocket theft, Guðmundur says people are getting lost in the country « who are doing this systematically ».
« There are also Icelanders to pursue pocket theft but nothing right now is happening. There are pretty demanding thieves on the move.
The police are responding because of the number of tourists in these areas – in and outside Hallgrímskirkja and down the Skólavörðustígið, especially on the rainbow part.
« We are trying to strengthen the determination of crime, help us resolve issues that come up and strengthen the security of those who are on the move there, whether it be Icelanders or tourists. »
The towers have been described as visual pollution, but according to police, they will have a great deal of help in resolving all kinds of cases.
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Says the towers are an experimental project
Guðmundur says the towers are a three -month pilot project that will be re -evaluated. When asked, he says the reassessment is based on what the case will be after the summer.
If the frequency decreases, the towers can be assumed to have a deterrent power, but also to look at how much more cases the police are able to solve.
According to Gudmundur, the police will solve a lot of cases with the help of cameras everyday, around the city.
For example, a number of vehicles have come with camcorder to solve how traffic accidents were. He says recordings are a very large growing part in the work of police.
Guðmundur says the towers are a three -month pilot project that will be re -evaluated. When asked, he says the reassessment is based on what the case will be after the summer.
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« This will always be controversial, we know it »
In the Facebook group for residents in downtown Reykjavik, Farip has criticized the watchdogs. One resident called the towers of monsters and said he usually put question marks on surveillance cameras and especially in the places in question.
However, not all residents have taken the same string, but some have pointed out that the towers increase security in the city, except for those who have something to hide.
Asked an opinion on this comment, Guðmundur says that visual pollution can always be shared, where it is unlikely that everyone will agree. Attempts have been made to set them up so that they were not in the « traditional tourist image ».
« This is not in the line of sight up the school guard path, it is not directly in front of the church but only to the side, slightly hidden.
Of course, they still see, it should be the determination of them, to see that there are cameras, but this will always be controversial, we know it. «
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mbl.is/ólafur Árdal
mbl.is/ólafur Árdal
mbl.is/ólafur Árdal
