New CCTV Technology Still Facing Issues

Invercargill Police are unable to directly access the new $2.3 million CCTV footage that was finally implemented across the city in April.

The revelation came last week before the Invercargill City Council meeting, when councillor Steve Broad asked Southland Area Commander Mike Bowman if the process was working effectively.

Cr Broad was alerted to the issue during a conversation with someone in the community two weeks ago.

Inspector Bowman admitted they were still having some technical difficulties and were not able to access the live feed directly into the station.

“We don’t have the current visual footage but we can access it by coming to you if we know something has happened. But at the moment there is a breakdown in the technology, and being able to have some control over the cameras.”

He said one of the team at council was working with them on fixing the issue.

Speaking in the public forum before being questioned by councillors, Insp Bowman said the true benefits of the cameras will be seen in due course, “and we hope to see a reduction in crime going forward.”

Referring to the recent serious assaults in Queens Park, he said the camera footage resulted in a quick response to apprehend the offenders.

Historically, the Invercargill CCTV network faced significant reliability and capability issues. 

By 2022, only one of nine city-centre police-monitored cameras was working, resulting in a less than 5% crime-resolution rate.

One of the triggering events for the CCTV upgrade was the violent death of a young person in Don St in April 2022.

The new CCTV network was finally live in April after many years of planning and budgeting, in both Invercargill and Bluff, marking a significant milestone in council’s ongoing commitment to creating safer public spaces for all residents and visitors.

There are 68 cameras across 23 locations in the CBD, South City, and Stirling Point in Bluff, which produce high-resolution live footage 24 hours a day. The footage is recorded and kept for three months before it is deleted.

Council said it has a dedicated process request for and provision of the information, and appropriate measures are in place to ensure the integrity and security of the data.