Macao’s CCTV surveillance apparatus will spread its reach even further next year when the fifth phase of the citywide system comes into operation.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak told the legislature during a Q&A session last week that the system currently has a total of 1,620 cameras, which were installed in four phases.
The cameras in the first phase, which came into operation in September 2016, are located in the areas around the city’s border checkpoints.
The system’s second and third phases were activated at the same time in June 2018. The cameras in the second phase are located on all major roads, while the cameras in the third phase are located at security blackspots and tourist attractions.
The cameras in the fourth phase, which came into operation in August 2020, are located in more remote places as well as places with potential security hazards.
Wong said on Friday that the police forces are carrying out the fifth phase of their citywide CCTV surveillance system, which is the installation or replacement of 300 cameras on the system’s existing poles across the city.
The policy secretary added that out of the 300 cameras involved in the fifth phase, 81 will be newly installed on existing poles, while the remainder are merely about replacing some of the current cameras with new ones, or adjusting the angles of some of the current cameras.
Wong also said that the government will soon commence planning the sixth phase of the citywide CCTV surveillance system.
In related news, Wong reaffirmed that the government will soon submit its national security law amendment bill to the legislature for debate and vote.
Wong also said that many mainland Chinese students who are studying in higher education institutions in Macao were “unwilling” to follow local news, adding that this was one of the reasons why they were likely to be defrauded by phone or online scams.
Wong also said that “not many” young local people choose to study cybersecurity as their university subject, so it was currently “very difficult” for both the government and the private sector to hire qualified professionals in the field, The Macau Post Daily reported.
