Police in Ballarat hit back at claims of the Street Safe CCTV being ineffective

As reported in The Courier, one of Ballarat’s most senior law enforcement officers has hit back at states the city’s Closed-circuit television cameras provide virtually no deterrent for late-night party goers who create chaos on weekends.

In a letter to the editor, Ballarat police Inspector Bruce Thomas defended police use of the CCTV cameras, writing that live footage was “readily available” from the duty sergeant’s desk at Ballarat Police Station, which is closely watched 24 hours every day.

Inspector Thomas said the

surveillance system has been particularly helpful for accumulating evidence and is frequently used for I . d . of suspects as well as to help in prosecution of offenders through the courts.

The

document comes after Regent Cinema management claimed the surveillance cameras in Lydiard Street had no direct impact on crime in the streets.
Inspector Thomas wrote that on a rolling 12 month period, assaults in the Ballarat Police Service Area were down 4.4 per cent and that the CCTV strategy is only one method by which police were dealing with issues associated with the late night entertainment precinct.
“The behaviour described in (yesterday’s front page) article is not acceptable and police will act decisively where it is warranted, but there must also be some personal responsibility on people frequenting the late night entertainment precinct,” he wrote.
“Unacceptable behaviour should not be seen as ‘normal’ and it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the City of Ballarat is considered a safe place for a night out.”
Ballarat City Council’s 2011-12 draft budget has allocated an additional $200,000 for eight additional Closed-circuit television cameras for Ballarat’s late night entertainment precinct.
Currently there are 12 security cameras operational in the region, with a further 4 being fitted using recently released federal funding.

If approved, the full 24-camera network will be operational by June next year.