PHILIPPINE National Police officials have called on all other city and municipal governments to do what the Quezon City council has done: require all business owners to invest in high-definition Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras before they can be issued a permit.

PNP chief, Director General Oscar D. Albayalde, said the presence of CCTV cameras in many parts of Metro Manila during his stint as National Capital Region Police Office chief helped them solve crimes specifically robbery-holdups and homicide cases.

What more if these CCTVs are of high-quality, one which can  record what is happening even at night or during brownouts? NCRPO chief, Director Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar echoed Gen. Albayalde’s stand by saying they have really solved crimes due to  CCTV’s or the so-called ‘ultimate witnesses.’

The PNP and the NCRPO leaderships hailed the latest Q.C. government resolution requiring  establishments to install high  quality CCTVs in order to comply with the law and be given a business permit. This time, Q.C. business owners have  to install CCTVs with  high-definition cameras which will be instrumental in crime-detection.

The Q.C. government has already required in 2012 all  business permits applicants to install CCTV cameras through a local ordinance. But base on observations, many of those given business permits installed poor quality CCTV systems. This time the Q.C. council decided to set minimum specifications for the CCTV system.

The Q.C. council, requires those  seeking business permit to install at least four cameras with a minimum of 2-megapixel resolution and 0.01 Lux illumination at low-light installed at “places of risk and transaction”, including outside the entrances.

It also requires that the recorders should have high-definition quality recording of at least 720p, and could store video for up to a month.

The Q.C. council even requires business permit applicants to install “dummy” cameras in conspicuous areas to help psychologically fool prospective thieves and most importantly, mandates business owners to provide police or authorities immediate access to the CCTV recordings upon their request.  Applicants are also required to preserve recorded footage for at least a year.

Police investigators said that by investing in high-definition CCTV systems, businessmen can help them solve cases of theft involving both ‘insiders’ or members of so-called ‘Salisi’ or Budol-Budol’ syndicates.

Last June 4, the Q.C. Police District headed by Chief Superintendent Joselito T. Esquivel Jr. solved the killing of Ombudsman Assistant Special Prosecutor Madonna Joy Tanyag with the arrest of  jeepney barker Angelito Avenido Jr. who was identified by witnesses as the man who stabbed the 5-month pregnant lawyer in a case of ‘robbery gone wrong.’ Officials said the suspect was caught on CCTV while fleeing  with a bloodied knife. The suspect eventually was shot dead by a QCPD agent in a gun-grabbing incident a few weeks ago.