Smile for the camera

Waipa District Council is to install a $240,000 video monitoring system (VMS) to help keep its community safe.

The decision at Tuesday’s Service Delivery Committee approved 13 cameras to be installed at key intersections in Te Awamutu and Cambridge. The cameras will be installed as early as November.

Council’s roading manager Bryan Hudson said the project, initially driven by CommSafe, was an example of community and Council working together.

“There is fantastic value in VMS as a tool to create safer communities and support police in preventing and resolving crime,” says Bryan.

“We’re pleased to have the support of local businesses, CommSafe and the NZ Police.”

Waipa¯ Mayor Jim Mylchreest said the cameras would be an asset to the community.

“My hope is that we see a real savings in graffiti and vandalism costs and our communities feel safer knowing that unacceptable behaviour is now being monitored.”

As well as crime prevention, the benefit to monitoring traffic at major intersections has meant the NZ Transport Agency will subsidise the cameras.

“The cameras will pan between busy pedestrian areas and roads, meaning the video coverage is not limited to one particular direction,” says Bryan.

“One camera will be stationed on the Victoria Street Bridge in Cambridge to monitor traffic flow on this critical road.”

The footage will be monitored from Te Awamutu police station by both police and a team of vetted volunteers.

Before the cameras are installed a policy will be developed to outline how long the images are kept for, who can request images and other details that are governed by the Privacy Act.