Taipei still has scores of “blind spots” not covered by surveillance cameras that are prone to criminal activity, a report by the National Audit Office said.
The office mandated the Taipei City Police Department to install more surveillance cameras in 41 locations to assist in fighting crime and better safeguard the public.
The police department said that it plans to install 500 surveillance cameras by the end of this year and another 400 units next year.
Photo: Yang Hsin-hui, Taipei Times
The report cited 48,000 locations in Taipei that had been the site of one of the following categories of criminal offenses: homicide, burglary, violence resulting in injury, theft, endangering public safety, destruction of property and offenses against freedom (which Chapter 26 of the Criminal Code says include abduction, forceful confinement, sexual assault and restricting freedom of movement).
The report further listed 41 places as “blind spots” that have no “video recording coverage” within 200m, which had been the site of a major crime five or more times last year.
The lack of surveillance cameras could give rise to further criminal incidents, and authorities must take remedial measures to prevent crime and safeguard the public, the report said.
The Taipei City Police Department said that street surveillance cameras are used to protect public security, but it also has to respect people’s right to privacy.
Decisions to install security cameras are made based on the type of public spaces and implemented in stages based on a priority list for budget allocation and urgency of public need, it said.
“The priority is to install [cameras] at known hot spots of criminal activities, as well as based on past criminal incidents and investigation records, along with traffic conditions,” it said.
The department undertakes on-site inspections and assessments of these locations with relevant authorities for a prudent evaluation of the location and the number of cameras that need to be installed, it said.
Some of the blind spots cited in the report have no cameras due to environmental and other factors, while others that do not have sufficient coverage could be filled by cameras in the area installed by private citizens, dashcams of passing vehicles, eyewitness accounts, gathering of evidence and forensic examination during a criminal investigation, it said.
In 2021, Taipei had 15,616 street surveillance cameras and reported 34,180 criminal incidents that year, of which 8,671 cases were solved with the aid of surveillance cameras, it said.
In 2022, the city reported 36,210 criminal incidents, of which 13,300 cases were solved with the aid of surveillance cameras.
Last year, with the total number of surveillance cameras reaching 18,094, it solved 13,091 of the 38,523 reported criminal incidents.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS