The downtown area and other criminal hot spots will soon be monitored under closed circuit televisions (CCTV), as the government is now in final negotiations with the companies that will implement the system.
National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest has announced Lowe's Alarm and its American partner, Aries, as the companies that were chosen.
He revealed that the government is presently in negotiations with the company to determine the terms and conditions of the contract.
"We've been in intense negotiations for the past week. It started with nine companies and now it's down to one. The tendering process began late last year," according to Turnquest.
Earlier this month Deputy Police Commissioner Quinn McCartney confirmed to Guardian Business that the CCTV's will be operated under a joint venture between a Bahamian-based company and an international partner.
However, he remained tight-lipped concerning the parties involved.
Based on the magnitude of the project, McCartney said it was necessary for it to be a joint initiative, adding that he's satisfied with the chosen companies.
Now that the companies have been revealed, Turnquest noted that he was pleased with the manner in which the tendering process was carried out, calling it open and transparent.
In addition to forming a national committee, the government spent thousands of dollars to hire an American-based consultant to assist them with the bidding documents.
"We enlisted the expertise of a consultant from Hudson Sterling Ltd. They conducted an analysis of the bids and ensured that the candidates were properly qualified to do so. Recommendations were then laid out to the government," he explained.
Turnquest said the implementation of the CCTV network will greatly assist police in their plans for crime fighting in 2012 and beyond.
"The multimillion-dollar CCTV network is expected to be more than a crime prevention tool; it is intended to also act as a deterrent to criminals and would-be criminals," Turnquest noted.
McCartney revealed that initially most of the cameras will be placed throughout the downtown area, including the courts.
"Cameras will be strategically placed throughout downtown, as it is not only a hot spot for tourists but also economic activity. However, we are not just limiting it to that area. There will be some placed in some of the areas around the island that continue to give us problems in our crime fighting efforts," McCartney said.
McCartney told Guardian Business that the estimated $7 million initiative has been in the pipeline for just over two years.
The project is expected to be fully operational by mid-2012.

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