Why Konrad Mizzi Has Been Placed In Charge Of Malta’s Most Expansive And Contentious CCTV Project
So it turns out that what could prove to be the most expansive national security project in recent history will not actually be the responsibility of the Ministry for National Security, but rather of the Ministry for Tourism.
The Times of Malta revealed this unorthodox arrangement last weekend, suggesting that the only link between the ‘Safe City’ project and the Tourism Ministry was Minister Konrad Mizzi’s wife Sai Mizzi Liang.
Mizzi Liang, in her past role as Malta’s special envoy to China, had brokered a memorandum of understanding between Malta and Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, which will provide the technology for the state entity Safe City Malta.
However, Safe City Malta director Joseph Cuschieri explained that Mizzi is in charge of the project because his ministry’s portfolio also includes Projects Malta.
Set up in 2015 to manage public-private partnerships, Projects Malta has remained Mizzi’s responsibility from his tenure as Energy and Health Minister to his period as a Minister without a portfolio to his current position as Tourism Minister.
Safe City Malta director Joseph Cuschieri
“This project implementation was initiated as part of the Projects Malta portfolio,” Cuschieri told Lovin Malta. “This project also complements other initiatives related to better management of the locality of Paceville as a key tourist zone. From a programme management perspective, it makes sense that the project is followed up through the same structure and ministry. The police as the user of the system will have the opportunity to define the requirements of the project and eventually operate the control centre.”
The plan is for high-definition CCTV cameras to be installed across Paceville by the end of 2019, with Marsa and Ħamrun next in line for this experiment. Although the government has scaled back on its original plans for the CCTV cameras to be installed with facial recognition technology, the cameras will still be able to zoom right into facial details.
The cameras will relay live footage to a panopticon-like control room which will be manned by the police. The police ‘watchers’ will monitor the footage and instantly relay incidents of crime to police on the beat via handheld devices. These devices, which will be around as large as an iPhone 8, will allow the police to watch crimes right after they occur and therefore to immediately identify perpetrators.
The ‘Safe City’ project could be rolled out in Paceville as early as next year
Cuschieri confirmed that all police officers who will work in the control room will have to undergo training in the handling of personal data as a prerequisite for meeting legal and regulatory compliance obligations. The footage will be covered by the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), meaning unwarranted leaks from the control room to third parties will be subject to GDPR-imposed remedies, liabilities and penalties.
Cuschieri also confirmed that citizens will be able to request CCTV footage related to them, but only so long as private data of other people isn’t disclosed along with it.
Proponents of the ‘Safe City’ project argue it will help police clamp down on crime faster and more efficiently and that the cameras could therefore even act as a crime deterrent. However, critics warn its widespread installation comes with severe privacy implications as it could empower the police to track your every movements in the streets.
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