KOTA BHARU: Yu Kok Hiang’s passion for computers is not just a pastime. Thanks to closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) he had installed at several spots in Kelantan, it has benefited family members, crash victims and even the police to conduct criminal investigations in the city.
Known as ‘Yu KH’ among netizens, the 55-year-old man’s Facebook account has become the go-to page because the videos from his CCTVs have high image quality thus helping the authorities identify the cause of accidents or crimes.
Kok Hiang told Bernama recently that he did not expect his videos to garner so much attention as well as help the public and the police solve cases.
“I don’t have any training or technical skills in this field but I like to study various types of CCTVs such as specifications and suitable software to produce quality CCTV video.
“In 2017, there was a snatch theft case in this city, I shared the CCTV footage on Facebook and the footage went viral because many were impressed with the quality which eventually helped the police catch the culprit,“ he said.
Kok Hiang added he was currently monitoring the situation in Kota Bharu through 50 to 60 CCTVs installed at various locations around the city.
“All the CCTVs do not belong to me alone for I only own 10 CCTVs while the rest belong to individuals, business premises, through public donations and also a security system company.
“However, all the CCTV footage is connected to the ‘GeoVision Control Centre’ in my house through the GeoVision software with the permission of all the owners because they want to serve the community in keeping the city safe,“ said the father of four.
Commenting on the quality of his shared videos, Kok Hiang said the images were obtained from various types of CCTV brands including ‘Titanus IP’ which has high megapixels, adding that the closed-circuit camera software was one of the determining factors in producing quality video recordings.
“The CCTV control centre in my house also uses a server because that way it is able to improve the recording quality. I also use a ‘gaming motherboard’ and ‘graphic card’ which are quite expensive to further improve the quality of CCTV recording images.
“I have spent about RM100,000 for all these CCTV systems since 2005,“ he said.
When asked about the community’s reaction to his interest, Kok Hiang said he was happy to receive positive comments, especially when some CCTV owners offered their video footage to be connected to his control room.
“When there is an incident around Kota Bharu, there will definitely be people asking in my Facebook comment section; ‘Is there no video recording of the incident?’ And such inquiries are not only from the public but the police too.
“Once there was a hit-and-run case that left the victim paralysed. The victim’s family members asked me if there was a recording of the incident for them to identify the registration number of the car involved.
“I reviewed the CCTV footage at the scene and gave the video to the police, finally the case was successfully resolved and the victim got deserving justice,“ said Kok Hiang.
Kok Hiang also expressed his overwhelming gratitude to the various sections of the community after receiving a certificate of appreciation from the police and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for his efforts. - Bernama
