ALBURY’S long-awaited CCTV camera start-up will take place on December 19.
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The security cameras were originally due to go live mid-year, but delays have been caused by the discovery of large amounts of rock during the boring of cables and the need for power cables to be re-laid.
Albury Council staff will start installing signs in the city centre on Monday, alerting people to the presence of the cameras and before the official launch the following week with senior police and Farrer MP Sussan Ley.
The 52-camera network in Dean Street and Volt Lane has been jointly funded by council the federal government under its safer streets program.
“Many business owners and community members have welcomed the development as an important step towards making our city centre safer, especially at night,” mayor Kevin Mack said.
“The cameras will be backed up by other crime reduction measures, including improved lighting in sections of the CBD to not only make shoppers feel more comfortable, but also to make it harder for troublemakers to break the law without detection.”
The cameras, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will send a continuous stream of images from their field of view to a control room set up at the Albury police station.
Safeguards are also in place to protect the privacy of law-abiding citizens.
They include a requirement to destroy all footage collected after 30 days, restricted access to the footage for council officers, a formal application process for law enforcement authorities to access any recordings of the footage and adherence to the CCTV code of practice and standard operating procedure.
“NSW Police has also welcomed the installation of the CCTV system, saying it will provide important crime management assistance in an area identified as one of concern,” Cr Mack said.
“The experience of other councils which have installed CCTV indicates that the cameras do indeed help in the fight against crime.
“It’s our belief that these cameras will make a positive difference.”