CCTV up and running- soon

Despite continued delays the South Waikato District Council is hopeful CCTV networks in Tokoroa and Putaruru will finally be up and running within two weeks.

Assets Group manager Ted Anderson said several factors have contributed to delays in getting the system up and running.

‘‘The work has been scheduled to start several times however bad weather has called off the works and then contractors were booked for other jobs that they couldn’t delay, so it was a case of booking a slot with them again,’’ he said.

‘‘This has been unfortunate but beyond the council’s control.’’

Anderson said the network installation in Tokoroa was further delayed when the current CCTV camera system in Putaruru failed completely.

‘‘Works in Tokoroa were refocused back to Putaruru as the Police were accustomed to having CCTV footage in that township, since Putaruru has had CCTV for a number of years,’’ he said.

He said further complications arose due to the works requiring the coordination of three separate contractors (a network designer, hardware installer and a camera security provider).

Anderson said for cost efficiency, the CCTV camera project in Tokoroa was also dovetailed with the installation of a public wifi initiative which resulted in some compatibility issues that needed to be worked through. But it’s not all bad news. ‘‘What has resulted from working through these issues is a system that is far more robust than originally planned and one that will deliver higher performance. Sometimes great things are worth the wait,’’ he said.

He said the delays were not adding to costs and while not yet available they are expected to be on budget.

The Putaruru system is expected to cost around $60,000 and the Tokoroa system around $80,000. There will be six cameras in Tokoroa and four in Putaruru.

Anderson said the council shares the frustrations of the police and the community with the continued delays and was pleased the system would soon be up and running.

‘‘We are excited about getting this project in both Putaruru and Tokoroa completed and working for the safety of our community,’’ he said.