U.S. city of Oakland to install surveillance cameras to curb crime surge

Los Angeles [US], March 30: Gavin Newsom, governor of the U.S. state of California, said on Friday that nearly 500 high-tech surveillance cameras are being installed in the city of Oakland to fight crime.
Some "480 new high-tech cameras are being installed along freeways and in Oakland to make the area safer," Newsom wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"These will help law enforcement identify vehicles linked to crimes using real-time information and alerts," said the governor.
The governor's announcement came at a time when Oakland, a city of more than 400,000 people across the bay from San Francisco, is struggling with a surge in crime and violence.
Last year, robberies in the city grew 38 percent, burglaries increased 23 percent and motor vehicle theft jumped 44 percent, according to an earlier report of CNN. Roughly one of every 30 Oakland residents had a car stolen in 2023, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Though opponents said the installation of cameras infringes on privacy, Newsom believed that the surveillance network will give law enforcement tools "to effectively combat criminal activity and hold perpetrators accountable -- building safer, stronger communities for all Californians."
Source: Xinhua