From Monday 14 July, the City will commence a three-month trial to determine the effectiveness of CCTV in decreasing incidences of littering and illegal dumping.
The trial, in accordance with the City’s Community Safety Framework, is designed to deter, prevent, and support local Police to assist the City in managing these issues.
To protect residents’ privacy, a ‘geographical fence’ will be applied to the camera, which will ensure residential structures and house numbers within the area are automatically pixelated and won’t be captured.
The camera will be operational 24/7, but will only be reviewed in the instance of littering or illegal dumping.
Any footage obtained will only be visible to a limited number of relevant City officers and Site Sentry, the appointed contractor for the unit’s installation.
Mayor David McMullen said, “Our newly endorsed Community Safety Framework is a statement of the City's coordinated, evidence-based approach to the separate but interrelated issues of: Homelessness; Social wellbeing and mental health; Partnerships and collaborations; and Public spaces and infrastructure. It is crucial to community safety that public spaces must be safe, secure and welcoming.
“The City's approach is multi-pronged, and we are not hinging everything on a CCTV rollout. We are taking a coordinated, evidence-based approach, to understand the extent to which CCTV can be used to help deter and detect anti-social behaviour and (where appropriate) be referred to appropriate agencies where unlawful activity occurs. Trialling of CCTV with a focus on littering and dumping at key sites will allow us to make informed decisions about the role that CCTV can play in maintaining community safety in our City. The hope is that CCTV can support the City’s efforts to maintain welcoming spaces that individuals will be less inclined to leave littered with rubbish, spoiling it for everyone else.”
For the first month of the trial, a mobile CCTV unit will be positioned at the north-eastern corner of Market Square Park. At the end of the three months, the City will review the unit’s effectiveness and make a decision about any future use.
For further information, please contact the Waste and Infrastructure team via the City’s Online Services.
