ALBURY Council last night agreed to begin the planning process of CCTV monitoring of Dean Street.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council voted 6-3 in favour of engaging a consultant to design a camera system for the length of Dean Street.
It is estimated the consultant’s initial report would cost ratepayers $25,000 and would be likely to go before the council in March.
The planning process would involve engaging a consultant to work with police and service providers as well as an expression of interest assessment.
Cr Ross Jackson tabled the motion and said it would help to tackle anti-social behaviour in one of Albury’s violence hotspots as well as the central business district.
He had the support of Cr Patricia Gould who said it was the fifth time the matter had been presented to the council during her time as a councillor.
“It’s about time we sat back and listened to a consultant to get a handle on what we want and how we’re going to do it,” Cr Gould said.
Those councillors opposing the motion insisted it shouldn’t be up to the council to meet the cost of the report, let alone a CCTV system.
Cr Alice Glachan said crime management was not within the council’s realm of responsibility.
“If CCTV was so good and if it was so important to the police and so important to the courts, why is the NSW government not funding these?” she asked.
“They are responsible for funding the police and the courts.”
The cost was also a sore spot for Cr Daryl Betteridge who said $25,000 would be “squandered” on the rollout of a “few cameras in Dean Street”.
“We are being emotionally blackmailed into going down a path we should not,” he said.
“What we should be doing is using the ratepayers’ money to best effect ... not squandering it.”
Cr Henk van de Ven said the arguments in favour of the proposal held more weight even though he had initially entered the council chamber undecided.
“Eventually it’s got to get through to the thickheads if you perpetrate the crime you’re going to get caught,” he said.
“We had a lot of damage up at monument and the council co-funded CCTV up there.
“In that instance, if we look at what’s happened in that space since cameras went in, there hasn’t been any vandalism at that site since.”
The meeting heard the cameras wouldn’t just target alcohol-fuelled violence.
They would also aim to reduce property damage, graffiti, hooning and other anti-social behaviour on Dean Street.
About 70 per cent of people who responded to a council survey said the cameras would be an effective measure to reduce crime.