Galway Bay fm newsroom - The city’s chief executive is to undertake a comprehensive review of existing CCTV facilities and what new closed circuit television cameras are required.
The matter was raised at last night’s meeting by Cllr Terry O’Flaherty who asked what is the council’s policy on the installation of CCTV.
Cllr Cathal O Conchuir said that in Limerick many residents associations have installed CCTV with the help of council officials, and it has been successful.
He added that one concern is however that while it dissipates crime in the area covered it may just move the problem elsewhere.
Director of Services Patricia Philbin said that it has to be residents associations who apply for the cameras and they have to show they have the resources to run them for 5 years.
Several councillors stated that residents associations would not have such resources.
Chief Executive Brendan McGrath said the council’s CCTV involvement was threefold - monitoring its own housing estates; the community and Garda strand and monitoring illegal dumping.
He said it was timely to pull all these strands together and review them in light of the new data protection laws coming in next year and what the communities require going forward.
Mr McGrath promised to have the report ready in the first quarter of the new year.
