By Demi Adeniyi
Lagos State Government said it has deployed more body cameras to the Lagos Traffic Management Authority personnel for more transparency in traffic management and enforcement.
The event which took place at the weekend, during the visit of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa to the LASTMA’s Oshodi headquarter, had the LASTMA personnel issued more body cameras with the pledge to keep them working for increased credibility and confidence in the delivering of effective traffic management and enforcement.
Explaining the reason for the redeployment of the gadgets, the Special Adviser stated that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has brought lots of technological innovations to address the transport challenges of the state of which the body camera, which was meant for accurate traffic management among many other benefits, was one.
Expressing his optimism of the bodycam to be able to deliver authentic traffic law violation reports or complaints as the case may be, Giwa further assured that the bodycam will validate any tale rendered by both the Law Enforcement Officers and aggrieved motorists, adding that the pictorial evidences will help in investigating complaints lodged by aggrieved motorists.
On the operation of the camera, the LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Bolaji Oreagba, assured that the LASTMA Officers have been trained on the usage and so are capable of handling the gadget adding that the camera would have a significant effect on deviant behavior on the road.
He further explained that the bodycam initiative is a win-win procedure for both the Law Enforcement Officers and motorists as the regular arguments on traffic laws violation will be put to rest through detailed recordings.
A LASTMA Officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity at the gathering informed that what thrills officers the most about the gadget is the fact that it provides another layer of security by dissuading would-be attackers from carrying out their heinous crimes knowing they would be captured by the bodycams.
It will be recalled that the Germany made body cameras which was launched in year 2021 by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu have been found to work effectively for 12 hours, as the battery life is strong and durable for the use of the Law Enforcement Officers.
The Special Adviser lauded the officers for their commitment at ensuring that the State continue to witness improved traffic management, and urged them to continue to put in more efforts to relieve the people of traffic congestion.