Southern Grampians Shire Council is ramping-up security and safety for locals, with 14 new CCTV camera units being rolled-out around the region in April.
The camera rollout, a joint initiative of the Council and Victoria Police, is phase one of the project outlined in Council’s Smart Community Framework and roadmap. The cameras aim to create a ‘safer place’ for our community members, while also providing access to data on movement and usage of public spaces.
Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Bruach Colliton said Council have worked with Hamilton Police to determine the most strategic locations in the Hamilton CBD, Dunkeld and Coleraine.
“Council takes a very strong stance on public safety. These cameras will give Police greater flexibility to respond quickly to issues of security, vandalism, criminal activity and community requests.
“These new cameras will be placed in areas we know are currently challenging to monitor. They’ll not only help police record the evidence needed to apprehend offenders, but will also provide Council with advice around usage of public places and vehicle movement,” he said.
Senior Sergeant Gerard Kelly said these devices are a vital resource which will help police solve crime and keep our community safe.
“CCTV cameras give local police more tools to prevent and respond to crime, and prosecute offenders,” he said.
“In fact, CCTV camera presence can even deter crime and this is what we’re hopeful of here in the Southern Grampians Shire. We’re placing the camera in known hotspots and places where we’ve previously had difficulty accessing footage of, so we’re confident that these cameras will allow for greater flexibility to prevent and investigate crime,” Senior Sergeant Kelly said.
The privacy of residents and visitors has been carefully considered as part of this rollout. The new cameras and Council’s overall CCTV network complies with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, Southern Grampians Shire Council’s Privacy Policy, and the Local Government Act 2020.
