Everyone knew we could not afford the expenditure nor did we agree with the surveillance state we were being turned into. Rs19 billion was an exorbitant sum of money for something we had never felt the need to acquire and which would threaten the privacy we had been enjoying as citizens and our civil liberties.

But Safe City cameras were sold to us as the solution to the crimes taking place in this country. The footage, we were told, would pay dividends as it would provide a way of collecting evidence to help show exactly what happened. Crimes can be solved far more easily with additional evidence from the Safe City cameras, which are scattered around the island and peeping into our private lives. Cameras, we were told, would help place times, locations and, most importantly, suspects. This would not only solve cases but deter crime as criminals would be aware that they are being watched and behave themselves. Footage from Safe City cameras can be incredibly important. You just look at the footage and you’ll know the truth. This truth costs Rs19 billion!

I don’t know if there was anyone gullible enough to believe that spiel but if there was, I wonder where they are now. The crime rate has never been as high as it is today. Drugs are killing the children of this nation, decimating families and causing crimes we had never heard of before. There is a real sense of impunity everywhere. All this is happening while Safe City cameras and our Rs19 billions are fast asleep. Though the prime minister bragged in parliament that the Safe City system had helped detect 101 crimes, we have not heard of many important cases where the Safe City footage was crucial or even helpful. Where were Safe City cameras when two ladies were murdered and buried by a psychopath? He continued to roam around freely until he himself decided to turn himself in.

And lo and behold, when there was the high profile case of Soopramanien Kisten’s cold blooded murder, we heard in court yesterday that there is no Safe City footage anywhere to prove anyone’s guilt or innocence. Naturally, no one is shocked or surprised to hear that. So the secret of the murderers and their accomplices or the ones who possibly ordered this killing is perfectly safe and protected!

In Pravin Kanakiah’s murder case, a young father, husband and hard-working citizen who disappeared in similar mysterious circumstances, again no Safe City footage to be found anywhere. And don’t expect any Safe City footage for any of activities surrounding the drugs that are destroying our society.

What we have learnt through Kistnen’s case is that while footage is never there when it’s needed, the Safe City cameras are managed and operated by political nominees and that it is these nominees who have the custody of very sensitive information collected about us!

So please remind me why we spent Rs19 billion on Safe City. If it stores information for no more than 30 days when most serious crimes take much longer to come to the surface; if it is managed by cronies who naturally we do not trust with sensitive information; if there never is any footage when the involvement of those in power is suspected; if footage is never available to convict criminals or allow innocent people to walk, apart from blatantly spying on us, threatening our civil liberties and indebting our children and grandchildren, what exactly is the Safe City system good for?