IT is with great concern that I read (another) article about how the greenbelts in Richards Bay have become a hideout for criminals, a sanctuary for squatters and now, a storefront for stolen goods.
Some time back a friend of mine told me a story about how a man from Empangeni tracked down the culprits who broke into his home by tracking the location of his Apple smartphone.
It gave him a detailed map of how the criminals moved around Richards Bay and Empangeni for the next two days until he finally managed to track them down at their place of residence, the location of which escapes me now.
I must ask myself this – if an average Joe with a little bit of tech-savvy can do this sort of police work, why on earth are our cops not better equipped and trained better?
I they had access to this kind of technology and overview, surveillance and information streams, they would be able to conduct ‘smart operations’ and crack down on crime by using technology.
It can’t be that difficult. Just the other day my friend taught me how to set up my daughter’s cellphone so that I can track her location in case of an emergency.
Scary, but very useful.
DON MASTERS
