GDPR now an issue with CCTV systemy
AN EXTENSIVE review of the county’s CCTV system has been carried out and a report is awaited, according to county secretary Pat Collins.
Mr Collins told the recent meeting of the Joint Policing Committee that the CCTV network was made up of public and private cameras but he said that General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was becoming a major factor in the process, pointing out that a lot more emphasis was being put on the where and, subsequently, the why, of placing a camera in a certain place.
He said you had to be able to say why places needed CCTV at all, adding that they would look at a plan for CCTV once the Data Commissioner’s report had come back.
‘ There are a number of points to consider, not least of all, the financial side of things.’
Superintendent Jim Doyle said that the gardai were using CCTV very well, saying that they had plenty of evidence, throughout the county, that it was the way forward.
Mr Collins pointed out that CCTV cameras were expensive, up to €2,000 with installation and bandwidth supply. He added that Enniscorthy was the least advanced in terms of CCTV and that it was a priority for any future upgrades. Anything after that would depend on funding, he said.
Cllr Anthony Connick referred to areas in New Ross where he felt that CCTV should be installed: ‘We can’t just say that it all goes to Enniscorthy and leave the rest out.’
Committee chairman Cllr Michael Whelan pointed out that there was no access to CCTV feeds in Enniscorthy Garda Station and Mr Collins said that Enniscorthy was prioritised because it was lagging behind.
Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan was delighted to see that Enniscorthy had been prioritised and wondered about cameras in rural areas. She was told that the bandwidth was a big factor when it came to the cameras transmitting back to a source, and that made rural cameras a particular challenge.
Cllr Davy Hynes was pragmatic in his consideration that there would never be enough cameras to service all of the problematic areas that arose. He wondered about the scope for mobile cameras.
Cllr George Lawlor wondered if the town cameras were all functioning and had acceptable bandwidth. He agreed with Cllr Hynes saying that Community and Housing section had used mobile cameras to very successfully tackle a particular issue.
Mr Collins said they were dealing with bandwidth issues for a few newer cameras, saying it was a question of funding and that figures would be available shortly. He expected it would cost in the region of €20,000.
Cllr Robbie Ireton was incredulous in his observation of the number of cacameras in certain locations. He pointed ouout that Courtown, the fifth biggest town in Wexford, might have six by the time new onones were installed, but he was aghast to lealearn that Kilmore Quay had 16.
Mr Collins replied that Kilmore Quay hahad cameras as part of the harbour, something thsomething which Cllr Ireton pointed out they hahad in Courtown as well, despite not being abable to use it.
‘It’s hard to believe that we will be lucky to hhave six cameras and a small ‘ blink and youyou’ll miss it’ village has 16!’
DDirector of Services John Carley pointed out that Kilmore Quay was the third largest fishfishing port in the country, with a number of offT The fish factories cameras, in he the said, vicinity. were helping to proprotect those resources. He added that mamany of the people in the room had not beebeen involved when a lot of those cameras wewere installed.
CChief Supt Patrick McMenamin said there were great advantages in having CCTV, saying it was essential to their work. He said he would support any increase in such facilities.
Cllr Ireton asked if anyone monitored the CCTV cameras they did have on a 24/7 basis and was told no as it would be an expensive undertaking.
‘I think it would pay for itself,’ said Cllr Ireton, pointing out that dog fouling and littering were two huge issues that could be addressed by monitoring. He said they had a means of tackling those two issues that would result in cleaner towns, and fines for such offences that would cover the cost of the CCTV network. He asked if a camera could, legally, be placed in a hotspot of activity.
Mr Collins said they were legally allowed to place a camera in such places but they had to have a proper purpose and couldn’t be there for a prolonged period.
‘We can’t have cameras everywhere,’ he said. WHAT EFFECT Brexit will have on Rosslare Europort, particularly when it comes to drug detections, was of particular concern for councillors at the recent Joint Policing Committee meeting in Wexford County Council.
Cllr Robbie Ireton was the first to voice his concerns over what impact Brexit would have on the port, as he wondered if there would be any extra garda presence there.
Garda Chief Superintendent, Patrick McMenamin, who was welcomed to his first JPC meeting at the beginning of proceedings, said that Brexit posted challenges for everyone, admitting that the port did need policing and that there was a review of thus being carried out at the moment. He said they would examine that report and their resources but until then their approach was somewhat uncertain.
‘We’re as much in the dark as everyone else,’ he remarked.
However, Cllr Ireton was not finished making his point, saying that there was not enough gardai in the district and voicing his belief that a dedicated drug task force was needed both nationally and locally.
‘We have been lucky at times with drug seizures but they’re only a fraction. We need to sit on it hard because it’s getting way out of hand.’
Cllr Davy Hynes agreed, telling the new garda chief that he would soon realise that Wexford was ‘ the forgotten county’, adding that the port was underdeveloped and he was concerned by that.
Cllr Ireton was hopeful that extra gardai would be assigned to Wexford and a drugs force could be established.
He added that, in many cases, drug use was a case of young people experimenting. He believed that prosecutions in cases like this were a waste of gardai and court time and wondered if it was time to change the way such first offences were dealt with. He believed that for the first or second offence, a person should not be hit with a criminal record that would, subsequently, prevent the person from travelling to certain places or taking up certain jobs.
‘But on the third offence, the drugs are off then,’ he added.