Community
- New CCTV aims to enhance safety in Invercargill and Bluff community areas.
- Stage One installations expected to be operational by Christmas this year.
- Police access real-time footage for monitoring, with archived access upon request.
Invercargill and Bluff have begun installing CCTV cameras to increase safety, with most of Stage One expected to be operational by Christmas. The Invercargill City Council allocated $2.3 million for this initial phase, following requests from local residents and Police to improve surveillance and deter vandalism and crime.
Work on the first stage is already underway, focusing on laying underground cabling that will connect 68 cameras across Invercargill and Bluff directly to the fibre network. The first phase of the CCTV project includes installations within the Tay St-Gala St-Queens Dr-Leven St area of Invercargill's CBD, South City, and Stirling Point in Bluff. A second phase is planned to explore further potential CCTV locations across Invercargill.
Invercargill City Council Group Manager for Infrastructure, Erin Moogan, noted that feedback from South City and Bluff residents led to their inclusion in Stage One. “There was an overwhelming want for these two communities to have CCTV along with the CBD,” Moogan said. She added that recent incidents, including repeated vandalism of glass panels in Bluff, underscored the need for monitoring in these areas. The project is aimed at creating a more secure environment and “acting as a preventative measure,” giving residents peace of mind about their safety.
Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, saying, “This is something the community has been wanting for some time now. All aspects of the project have been agreed on, and we can now get to the next steps in keeping our community safe.”
Under the project, Invercargill City Council will retain ownership of the CCTV footage, while Police will have real-time access for immediate monitoring and will be able to request past footage if needed. Although cameras have already begun to be installed, they will only become active once the commissioning process is complete.