The new surveillance network will comprise all speed radars on Armenia’s streets and highways as well as separate video cameras used for collecting street parking fees in Yerevan, which have been operated by two private firms for almost a decade. It will also be connected to security cameras installed inside shops, restaurants, casinos and other private businesses across the country.
The chief of the Armenian police, Vahe Ghazarian, indicated that police officers will also view many cameras to be placed in other public areas. He did not specify their number or location.
Ghazarian said that the expanded surveillance system will have a “substantial positive impact on improving the security environment.” Law-enforcement bodies will be in a better position to maintain public order, prevent and solve crimes and hunt for fugitive criminal suspects, he told a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Pashinian praised the police initiative. But he said nothing about the amount of government funding that will be provided for its realization.
Samvel Martirosian, an independent cyber security expert, cautioned that while the new surveillance network will likely make it easier for the police to combat crime it could be vulnerable to hacker attacks and information leaks. He said it is not clear how the government will protect citizens’ personal data and who exactly will have access to it.