Already-installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras throughout the city will now be used to fine people who throw trash in the streets and urinate in public.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment has petitioned for the cameras to be appropriated to enforce laws that are already on the books but largely ignored, according to VietnamNet. They contend that the cameras, which already assist law enforcement in monitoring crime and traffic, will help reduce littering and unhygienic acts.
Relying on the footage is necessary, they claim, because of a shortage of inspectors on the streets. They hope the urban order management force and construction inspectors will review the tapes and impose fines on violators.
As technologies improve, Saigon is increasingly turning to cameras to maximize resources and protect the public. Earlier this year, the city installed cameras in several parks to combat crime and vagrancy. Similarly, it established a surveillance center to remotely monitor streets. The moves are being matched in other areas of the country including Hanoi and Da Nang.
Not everyone, however, is pleased with being silently watched. Earlier this year, a screenshot of a couple having sex in a CGV theater was leaked, which prompted debates about privacy concerns. In what will certainly worry many, the Department of Natural Resources is conducting a survey on releasing the personal information of those who litter or urinate in public through the mass media.
[Photo via Creative Commons]
