Cameras help police keep an eye on Patong

PHUKET: Police in Patong have moved into higher technology as a way of keeping an eye on Phuket’s prime tourist area. A new closed-circuit TV (CCTV) camera system went on-line yesterday morning, along with a new operations centre where cameras can be monitored. The Kathu Police Department is the first department in the southern region to use the technology, said Pol Lt Gen Charn Nutkumhang, Commissioner of the Police Headquarters, Region 8. The centre is capable of monitoring up to six cameras, though at present the department has just two – one on the end of Soi Bangla and the other on the soi leading to the Patong Resort Hotel. The police hope the private sector will help with funding to buy the remaining four cameras.