Cape Verde negotiates expansion of "Safe City" video surveillance system with China

Cape Verde's Minister of Internal Affairs, Paulo Rocha, revealed on Friday, in an interview with Lusa news agency, that the Cape Verdean government is negotiating with China to finance a new phase of the "Safe City" video surveillance system, with the aim of expanding it to three more cities in the archipelago.

"We are currently in talks with China to finance a third phase, which aims to extend the project to other cities," said the minister during a visit to the Macau Special Administrative Region.

According to Paulo Rocha, the project has already been implemented in the cities of Praia (Santiago Island), Mindelo (São Vicente Island), Sal Rei (Sal Island) and Santa Maria (Boavista Island). The new phase aims to take the program to the cities of Porto Novo (island of Santo Antão), Assomada and Tarrafal (both on the island of Santiago).

After the visit to Macau, the minister will head to Beijing, where he will meet with Chinese manufacturers of public security equipment.

The third phase of the project is part of the agreement signed in January between Cape Verde and China, which provides support of 26.3 million euros. The agreement also includes the training of technicians to operate the system and ensure the maintenance of the command centers.

Security in cities, especially in the capital, has been a recurring theme. In April, shopkeepers in the city of Praia told Lusa about episodes of robberies and threats with firearms. However, the minister played down the situation: "Crime in Praia remains stable. It's just speculation," he said.

Rocha stressed that the police have acted effectively, making relevant arrests and seizures. On June 27, the National Police announced the arrest of 20 individuals in Praia on suspicion of drug trafficking, theft, public disorder and possession of weapons.

The minister also pointed out that although the number of gun crimes has remained stable, seizures of ammunition have increased, many of them from the United States and Europe. This is due, he said, to increased surveillance at ports and the use of scanners for small packages.

On May 5, the Attorney General of the Republic, Luís Landim, announced the creation of a special team to combat urban crime in Praia and São Vicente. The aim, explained Paulo Rocha, is to ensure swift and effective investigations, even when criminals are not caught in the act.