OAG says CCTV system in Songkhla and Satun does not work properly
About 1,000 surveillance cameras installed in public places in Songkhla and Satun provinces were found to be of low quality, overpriced and 22 percent of them did not work properly, according to the Office of the Auditor-General.
The OAG looked into the spending of ten units which have acquired their own surveillance cameras to be installed in the two provinces. These include Songkhla provincial administrative organization, Hat Yai municipality, Jana tambon municipality, NaThaweetambon municipality, ThaMuangtambon administrative organization, Songkhla provincial police command, Jana district office and JehBeelungtambon administrative organization.
The OAG found out that the ten units set the median prices to purchase the cameras by making enquiries about camera prices from contractors instead of finding information about the prices from the Internet or from the dealers.
The result was that the actual prices paid for the surveillance cameras were 1-4 times higher than market prices. Also, most of the cameras procured were not checked properly before they were installed and there were no plans showing where the cameras were installed.
It was discovered that about 22 percent of the cameras did not bfunction properly causing a waste estimated at about 32 million baht. Qualiity tests of the system installed by the 10 units showed that the cameras were so poor that they could not see the licence plate numbers even during the day time.
Worse still, the cameras installed by each unit work independently and they were not connected to form a network which will make the CCTV system work more effectively.