China inked an agreement with Bolivia on Tuesday to help the South American country implement a smart-tech project to improve its public security system.
In the presence of Bolivian President Evo Morales, Bolivian Interim Minister of Planning and Development Veronica Ramos and Chinese Ambassador Wu Yuanshan signed the agreement at the presidential palace, agreeing to promote the BOL-110 Public Security Integrated System Project.
The project is expected to facilitate the country's monitoring of and major operations against crimes in public spaces.
"In these new times, we need another technology...today we approved the implementation of an integrated command and control system for the public security of the Bolivian people," said Morales in a speech.
The two phases of the project will respectively require an investment of 55 million U.S. dollars and 50 million U.S. dollars. Both phases will be funded by loans from China.
Morales thanked China for its "unconditional" support.
"We value China's presence in many aspects. China's presence offers cooperation without conditions," he said.
Carlos Romero, Bolivia's interior minister, said his country was encouraged as a similar system developed by China has proved successful in Ecuador and has led to a reduction of the crime rate.
The highlights of the smart-tech project include two components: a security command outpost in the capital city of La Paz and a video-surveillance system in six provincial capitals.
The first phase will see the construction of a command center in La Paz's Miraflores area, which has 32 consoles to track 620 security cameras in the cities of La Paz and El Alto.
The system will be expanded to six provincial capitals in the second phase, when all of them will be equipped with control centers.
The system will be assisted with 120 public servants, three police buses, five drones and new intelligent patrol vehicles.
The Bolivian police department will also receive 100 digital radios with GPS for patrol cars and 500 radios for police officers.
Romero added that around 2,000 public transport vehicles will be equipped with a GPS system and emergency buttons to help drivers and passengers.
The minister also estimated that these measures would reduce the crime rate by 2 percent in Bolivia.
