CCTV Technology To Create A Safer Invercargill Environment
Invercargill will soon be one of the safest places to live in New Zealand, with council approving a more advanced CCTV system worth $1 million.
The Infrastructure Committee has agreed with the CCTV Working Group in conjunction with Safer Communities to install 133 cameras at locations including, in the inner city, Sandy Point and at Bluff, with an extra $200,000 for the increase in upgrading the wider network.
Council’s manager of strategic asset planning Russell Pearson, said they had come up with a much wider scope than originally planned, following a needs assessment.
“The working group strongly endorsed that all regions be implemented,” he said.
The project was initiated in 2022 after police advised a number of the city centre CCTV cameras were not working.
A stakeholder working group was formed to provide input, and included police, Maori wardens, Community Watch, retailers, ILT, ICL and councillors.
Cr Nigel Skelt spoke on behalf of the working group, and said because they couldn’t determine which areas were most important, they needed to be proactive and have cameras around the ‘wider’ city that involved everybody.
Invercargill Police have been “exceptionally supportive” and would be given a direct link to the livestream of the footage, to use for resolving acts of crime. While initially asked to contribute financially, this had not been forthcoming, Cr Skelt said.
The new software also came with number plate recognition which could alert police straight away to offenders in vehicles they were tracking. It could also be used to monitor other things like traffic trends in the city.
“It is important that we promote ourselves as being very safe, not just inner-city, but the city, so we have a point of difference to other cities,” Nigel said.
“But we understand fully, that the cameras don’t protect, they are just one tool in the tool box in security, without a shadow of doubt,” he said.
The network design will now be completed and council will then put out a request for proposal from suppliers.