Police have reached a significant milestone with the registration of the 10,000th camera on Cam-Map WA, the State’s CCTV register.
Police Minister Michelle Roberts today joined police in encouraging more members of the community to sign up to Cam-Map WA, the State-wide integrated network of public and private CCTV cameras.
The comprehensive database of CCTV cameras monitoring public spaces gives police a technological edge when investigating serious crime, because the register acts as a virtual map of CCTV camera locations.
Cam-Map WA replaces the former ‘Blue Iris’ system which is now defunct.
Police have spent the past 18 months completely redesigning the register interface and improving its functionality and capability.
The register will greatly assist police efforts to respond to and investigate crimes, and gather evidence and intelligence.
So far, 404 residents have registered their CCTV assets, along with 44 local government authorities and 240 schools throughout Western Australia.
The collection, use and storage of CCTV images and footage from the register will be governed by strict guidelines and procedures to ensure it is only used for its intended purpose.
As stated by Police Minister Michelle Roberts:
“CCTV is a valuable tool not only for investigating crimes, but for preventing crimes.
“Once completed, Cam-Map WA will effectively be a one-stop shop of the State’s CCTV assets.
“It will help police locate footage faster as they investigate crimes and it will increase their responsiveness to emergency situations and critical incidents as they are happening.
“We have numerous CCTV systems in the community, many of which have cameras facing public areas.
“So it makes sense for police to be able to access data from those cameras in the investigation of crime.”
