Full CCTV coverage up and running in Fermoy town

THE final element of plan to provide blanket CCTV coverage across the town of Fermoy will fall into place today (Thursday) with the official launch of the scheme in the Town Hall at 2.30pm.

The system, which provides ‘real-time’ images from more than 20 strategically placed cameras in key locations to a monitoring station in the local garda barracks, will be formally launched by garda crime prevention officer James Hallahan.

Work on the project commenced in 2015, with the installation of 16 cameras covering Pearse Square, Brian Boru Square and Ashe and O’Neill- Crowley Quay.

These cost €30,000 to put in place, with €20,000 of that coming from the Office of public Works and the balance from the Fermoy Municipal District’s Town Development Fund.

Under the auspices of the fund, set up by Cork County Council last year, each of the authority’s municipal districts has been allocated a pot of €625,000 to be spent over a five-year period, or €125,000 per annum, on urban improvement schemes.

A further €15,665 was allocated from this years fund for six additional cameras covering Patrick Street, McCurtain Street, the Cork Road and the Library Car Park covering the bottle and clothes banks.

District Municipal Officer Pauline Moriarty said the council had liaised closely with local gardai throughout the process.

“Gardai are happy that there is good and comprehensive CCTV coverage across the town and that all of the relevant areas that needed to be covered have been,” said Ms Moriarty.

“They have found it useful for monitoring crime such as public order incidents and the cameras have also proven to be helpful in monitoring water levels in the Blackwater allowing barriers to be erected to prevent potential flooding,” she added.

Ms Moriarty said money from the development fund will also be used to install CCTV cameras monitoring systems in the Fermoy District’s other two towns.

“Tenders are currently being prepared for CCTV in Charleville and we are together a scheme for Mitchelstown. Both of these projects will be up and running by the end of next year.