Video surveillance in Hesse – a success story Safe City Expert Frank Salder in interview with the HessenKurier

More and more Hessian cities are opting for the use of video technology in the fight against crime. The Hessenkurier spoke to Frank Salder, Managing Director of Dallmeier Systems GmbH in Gladbeck and Safe City expert at Dallmeier, manufacturer of video security technology in Regensburg, Germany.

Mr. Salder, why do police and city parliaments increasingly rely on video surveillance and observation? And how do you see acceptance among the population?

The performance of modern systems is increasingly successful in helping to solve, but also to prevent and intervene in sometimes serious crimes. In Wiesbaden, during a two-month test period, law enforcement officers were able to solve well over a third of 60 partially serious crimes using video technology. The serious knife attack in the cultural centre in July 2020 achieved sad prominence: Here, the perpetrator could be identified and arrested in a very short time due to the camera images – although the crime took place in the middle of the night. In our experience, acceptance for video surveillance of crime hotspots is actually no longer an issue. On the contrary: it seems that more and more citizens welcome such measures. This is also confirmed by corresponding surveys.

Who actually decides on urban video surveillance?

There are clear democratic rules of the game here. If the police identify a crime hotspot, i.e. an area with significantly increased crime, they can apply for video surveillance. The city parliament in turn then usually decides on the authorisation.

Besides Wiesbaden, Hanau, Frankfurt, Dietzenbach and recently also Offenbach use systems from your company. What makes “video technology from Regensburg“ so popular?

Firstly, the technology used: the “multifocal sensor cameras“ patented by Dallmeier enable cities to monitor very large areas with a minimum number of cameras. In Wiesbaden, for example, two members of the police and the public order office always have an eye on five crime hotspots covering more than 40,000 square metres, 24 hours a day, and in a quality that can be used in court, right down to the last corner. And just 58 cameras are enough for that. Another point is probably the “total package“ – we act as general contractor and take over the coordination and management of all trades and ancillary trades up to civil engineering and route planning.

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