Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — A total of 19 illegally installed video surveillance pieces have been dismantled from public poles in Playa del Carmen. The Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana Municipal (SSCM) says the cameras were verified to be illegally installed in different locations throughout the city and did not belong to any C4 or C5 Centre’s.
“The Municipal Citizen Security Secretariat (SSCM) of Playa del Carmen seized 19 video surveillance cameras, a NEMA box and an antenna installed in an unidentified manner at different locations throughout the city.
“During an inspection and preventive surveillance tour, police officers detected video surveillance cameras on streetlight poles that did not belong to the municipal system or the C5.
“After confirming with the monitoring areas that they were not part of the official infrastructure, the objects were removed and made available to the State Attorney General’s Office for the corresponding legal purposes.
“We strongly urge citizens to report suspicious activities involving the installation of cameras in public spaces,” the Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana Municipal (SSCM) reported.
In a separate statement, the Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana (SSC) of the state also reported on the dismantling of the unauthorized video surveillance cameras.
“Video surveillance cameras installed in public spaces (poles or municipal or state infrastructure) must be authorized and officially registered, as their operation without the proper permits can pose a risk to public privacy, as well as to the integrity of investigations conducted by authorities.
“For this reason, unauthorized devices are considered a potential threat to security and the current legal framework. With the aim of verifying the status of video surveillance cameras installed in public spaces, Municipal Police officers, in coordination with personnel from the Control, Command, Computing, and Communication Center (C4) and members of the Centurion Group of the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), carried out an operation in various areas of Playa del Carmen, where they managed to identify and dismantle a total of 18 unauthorized video surveillance cameras.
“The cameras were installed on public lighting infrastructure belonging to the City Council, which were not registered by any official agency. As a result, the devices were seized and made available to the legal department of this Secretariat.
“This department reports that verification work will continue at other points in the city, with the aim of corroborating the status and legality of the remaining cameras installed in public spaces.
“With actions like this, the SSC reaffirms its commitment to legality, transparency, and the safety of the people of Quintana Roo.”
In February, what started out as a dozen ended up exceeding 35 illegally installed cameras around the municipality of Tulum. Police found those cameras installed on poles and in trees mostly along the highway.
In late March, police in Felipe Carrillo Puerto also found illegally installed video surveillance cameras installed in key areas on public poles. In both instances, police said they believed the cameras were installed by criminal groups.
Police have not commented on who is likely responsible for installing the recently discovered illegal cameras around Playa del Carmen.
