According to councillor Dennis Seage, Kiama’s network of 24 CCTV cameras has already proven its worth, having been used 3 times by NSW Police as a tool for investigating potential criminal activities.
Kiama’s CCTV system has been operational since July and Kiama Council is planning to install additional cameras in Gerringong within the next 12 months.
“We are also looking at mobile cameras that can be put up at a moment’s notice in (busy periods or) such as on Australia Day, or in trouble spots like car parks, possibly Kiama Harbour and illegal dumping hot spots,” Cr Seage told the Kiama Independent.
CCTV cameras are installed in Terralong Street and Railway Parade with a loop back to Terralong Street via Bong Bong and Manning Streets. The cameras were installed on Kiama Council’s new NBN fibre network and the project received $A150,000 funding from the Federal government, with $80,000 raised by Council and the NSW government contributing another $50,000.
The cameras are designed to blend in with the Kiama streetscape, and video streams are monitored live at NSW Police Lake Illawarra Local Area Command. In March, a council survey found 72 per cent of Kiama residents supported the installation of CCTV. The capacious bandwidth of the NBN fibre network has also allowed Kiama Council to offer free Wi-Fi in the Kiama CBD as a separate but concurrent project. ♦
