Closed-circuit television as identification technique in gang murder investigations

Abstract

The aim of this research was to critically discuss the value of Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) as identification technique in gang murder investigations, with the assistance of investigating officers from four Police Stations namely, Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, Ravensmead, and Kensington, situated in the Western Cape Province. A qualitative approach was implemented in which various data sources of literature, documents and semi-structured interviews were compared in an attempt to authenticate the research findings. The interviews were held with investigators who investigate murder and use CCTV as an identification technique. Consulting videotapes from CCTV monitoring systems in businesses, apartment buildings, elevators, and other locations is important for crime scene reconstruction. Like any other piece of evidence, video footage is subject to all the usual chain of custody requirements because it is regarded as real evidence. Video surveillance will be accepted as proof in legal matters: - If the surveillance footage is clear, meaning that the video and audio are sharp; - It must be authenticated, to prove that it has not been tampered with in any way; - It must be proved that the visuals and audio accurately reflect the incident in question and not some other incident; - The evidence provided by the surveillance footage must not be hearsay and must not be contradicted by other evidence; and - The video should not be part of an illegal entrapment exercise. On the basis of the findings of this research it is proposed that workshops be held regularly, where criminal investigators are trained on how to use CCTV as an identification technique in the investigation of a gang murder. It is also proposed that the police work hand-in-hand with communities and advise them on how or in which position their CCTV cameras should be positioned in order to increase the chances of finding a useful video footage when a gang murder has been committed.