MANILA – The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) on Thursday reminded owners of business establishments to strictly comply with the ordinance requiring them to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in their premises.
QCPD director, Chief Supt. Joselito T. Esquivel Jr., said business owners must comply with the ordinance to avoid penalties.
“Let us invest in the security of our business establishments by taking advantage of the benefits from the advance technology,” Esquivel said in a statement.
City Ordinance No. 2695 Series of 2018, which amended Ordinance No. SP-2139, Series of 2012, mandates all business establishments, including pawnshops and money changer shops, operating within the territorial jurisdiction of Quezon City to install CCTV and prescribes penalties for violations thereof.
Section 3 of the ordinance specifies the preservation of video recordings and also states that the owners of said business establishments shall make the camera recordings available to the authorities engaged in crime investigation upon written request stating its purpose.
Furthermore, under Section 6, or the monitoring and access to recordings, if a crime has been committed, the operator, employee or owner of the establishment shall immediately contact the nearest police station and shall provide access to the pertinent recordings to the police and other investigators.
The CCTVs shall be monitored at all times in order to immediately report crime incidents to the nearest police station and/or barangay if deemed necessary.
The ordinance cited that it is a proven and accepted fact that the installation and operation of CCTV cameras, as a growing advanced surveillance and security technology worldwide, provide business establishments, schools, government offices and homes, among others, the benefits of the installation of CCTV such as deterring disorder and violent crimes of potential offenders; combating theft, burglary and other crimes against property; and providing a safer environment thereby giving ‘peace of mind’ and ‘reduced fear of crime’ feelings to business owners, employees, workers, students and the public.
Violators of the said city ordinance shall be penalized with a fine amounting to PHP5,000 or shall not be issued business permit or permit to operate. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
