The National Assembly of Kuwait has endorsed a draft law proposed by the government for the use of closed-circuit TV monitoring (CCTV) in public places across the country. The draft law aims to reduce the frequency of crimes, revealing identity of perpetrators, and protecting public safety at locations such as hotels, malls, banks, open-air shopping plazas, hospitals, sport clubs and youth centres, according to the official Kuwaiti news agency.
The draft law compels owners of businesses to install CCTV monitoring cameras at the location of their businesses and have them operational round the clock, it said.
The draft law follows a proposal by interior minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Khalid in February who was quoted as saying: “The preventive measures will be an effective deterrent in reducing the incidence of crime and will speed up identification of the perpetrators. “They will also preserve the safety of those who go to commercial and residential complexes and the central markets, and will help in the fight against crime wherever it may occur.”
Sheikh Mohammad said at the time that the proposed new law would also regulate the installation and use of security surveillance cameras in establishments and roads.
