Call for CCTV in neighbourhood shopping areas
NEIGHBOURHOOD shopping precincts such as Tamworth Street, Boundary Road, Myall Street and Victoria Street should get equal treatment when it comes to decisions on where to install CCTV security cameras, Monday night’s Dubbo Regional Council meeting heard.
“In my talks with the Tamworth Street shopping people and Victoria Street, they are desperate to have security cameras placed in their precincts,” Cr Vicki Etheridge said during the debate.
Councillor Greg Mohr said the cameras were more than just a “security” measure, and would also help with public safety.
NEIGHBOURHOOD shopping precincts such as Tamworth Street, Boundary Road, Myall Street and Victoria Street are deserving of equal treatment with regard to the installation of CCTV security cameras, according to Dubbo Regional Council Mayor Ben Shields.
He made the comment during an ordinary meeting of council on Monday this week, February 26, during discussion of a review of the camera network in Dubbo and Wellington.
Council is waiting to hear if their application for a grant of $767,977 through the Australian Government Safer Communities Fund, Round 2 havse been successful.
The cost of expanding and upgrading the network stands between $500,000 and $800,000 and includes 14 undisclosed new locations split between Dubbo (8) and Wellington (6).
“There’s a good argument our neighbourhood shopping centres need to be treated equally,” Cr Shield told the meeting.
“If there is federal government grants out there to fund the street camera network upgrade, great. Does that mean we should give up on the push for neighbourhood shopping centres getting cameras too? Absolutely not. If this review doesn’t include them, we need to do some more work.
“There’s an inequality issue. They’re retailers, they’re in business as well. They operate in a cluster of retail environment and there are inequalities between there and the main street,” he said.
Councillor Vicki Etheridge, who is driving support for an upgrade of neighbourhood precincts, fears the review will overlook these important economic centres.
“I’m extremely disappointed that the police have had to declare that an area of Dubbo is unsafe before we can give them CCTV camera vision, not only for security but for... lost children, aged people roaming around not really knowing where they are – we can spot (people in these situations) on the cameras.
“In my talks with the Tamworth Street shopping people and Victoria Street, they are desperate to have security cameras placed in their precincts. Obviously the police don’t see that as an issue.”
Councillor Greg Mohr questioned Community and Recreation director Murray Wood if there was a criteria or a platform the police use to prescribe the cameras around the city, not just by name or nature, but statistically.
Mr Wood said the placement of cameras was a result of a working relationship with council staff and the police. Given the cameras were a finite resource “we rely on police guidance as to where the hotspots are and where there’s a pattern of behaviour proven by statistics”, he said.
He did, however, suggest the methods of deciding which cameras go where is open for discussion.
“Staff can raise where they believe there’s a problem due to council’s statistics.”
Mayor Shields supported raising the issue of including the neighbourhood centres such as Tamworth Street and Victoria Street in the safety camera network.
“It would be part of the conversation but it would rely on evidence,” Mr Wood said.
Councillor Mohr reminded Mr Wood and the councillors present, however, that Council’s review is for “safety” cameras. “I’ve said this before, it’s not just about crime,” Cr Mohr said.
“They can be used for crime but they can also be used to find lost children, elderly people with dementia, to find out where they were, (and for) loss of property,” he said.
Director Wood referred back to first-hand evidence.
“Once again it comes back to evidence,” said Cr Etheridge.
“We still basically rely on the police to tell us where we can put our cameras. Can we not look at it as being a bit more proactive, as a deterrent? Do we have to wait until something blows up before we can put those deterrents up?,” she questioned.
Mayor Shields added: “If there’s an agreement here from councillors and the community that neighbourhood shopping precincts should be treated equally to the main street businesses, there could be a further program in the future where we can install cameras in those shopping strips, independently, maybe by funding through council.”