Christmas has come a little early in the Whakatāne District, following the completion of community safety camera (CCTV) project.
The project sees 33 new cameras installed in different areas of the district, 11 existing cameras upgraded and 24/7 live monitoring now in place.
The project, between Whakatāne District Council and Police received $1 million last year from the Department of Internal Affairs Better Off Funding. It aimed to deliver and upgrade the existing network district-wide with modern cameras, install additional cameras and enhance system monitoring abilities.
Whakatāne District Council General Manager Strategy and Transformation, Steven Perdia, says there is much to celebrate with the project coming in on time and under budget.
“Whakatāne District residents can feel confident that there is a comprehensive camera network located throughout the rohe as we head into the busy summer holiday period," Perdia says. “This includes constant monitoring by an independent security firm that has direct communications with NZ Police. People can also rest assured knowing we have installed 14 ANPR cameras at key entry and exit points to our district.”
Council note, ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) identifies individual vehicles of interest and automatically advising police about stolen car movements. This is particularly relevant for ram raids, which most often involve stolen vehicles.
However, Perdia says the monitoring aspect covers a wide range of issues, not only those concerning vehicles.
“The monitoring team is also looking for emergency or life-threatening situations such as fires and medical events and suspicious behaviour like break-ins, graffiti and illegal dumping,” he says. “It’s an effective security measure across several community safety issues.”
80 cameras are now situated throughout the Whakatāne District, including in Murupara, Tāneatua, Edgecumbe, Thornton, Whakatāne and Ōhope.
Council add there is also potential for further enhancements to the network, including more stationary cameras and a mobile unit.
“The initial phase has come in under budget, which is a fantastic outcome in the current cost escalation climate,” Perdia says.
“This allows us to explore extending the monitoring contract and other lower-priority camera locations, and look into procuring a mobile unit, which can be moved around the district to any areas of particular concern.”
Image: Whakatāne District Council.
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