KIMBERLEY – The “Eyes and Ears” (E2) concept, established through collaboration between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and private security role players, was initiated in response to growing security concerns in rural policing areas.
The initiative links the private security industry with partnership policing strategies, particularly within rural safety deployments. Its primary aim is to enhance situational awareness and strengthen the collective response to crime as it unfolds.
The E2 initiative has been operational in the Northern Cape since 1 November 2021, with more than 70 participants and organisations involved, including Agri-Northern Cape, which represents rural safety stakeholders.
Currently, over 700 cameras are connected to the E2 system across the province. For operational effectiveness, their locations remain undisclosed. E2 controllers, sponsored by Business Against Crime, work alongside SAPS members at the Northern Cape Provincial Operational Command Centre (POCC) in Kimberley on a 24/7 basis.
The system assists SAPS in addressing a range of crimes and threats, including public unrest, stock theft, infrastructure-related offences, property crimes, suspicious vehicle alerts, theft, robberies, burglaries, and cases identified through Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
From January 2024 to June 2025, the E2 system contributed to significant policing successes, including the recovery of 53 vehicles and the arrest of 140 suspects.
The intelligence generated by E2-through surveillance technology, role-player collaboration, and shared reporting-enhances multi-disciplinary crime-fighting operations and continues to produce notable results in the fight against organised crime.
Farmers and farming unions have made substantial contributions by installing the majority of cameras linked to the system. The continued growth of participants is crucial to ensuring even greater success in combating crime in rural areas.
Compliance with the POPI Act
The Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act gives effect to the constitutional right to privacy by safeguarding personal information against unlawful collection, retention, dissemination, and use. Any information collected in connection with the commission of a crime is subject to Section 35 of the Constitution, which regulates the limitation of rights.