Local Government, WA Police Force, and the Community – The CCTV Partnership Program

Mathew Owens

 

Local Governments are investing significant public funds into the development and implementation of CCTV systems as a community safety and crime prevention initiative. The effectiveness of CCTV as a crime prevention intervention is uncertain, however Police agencies have indicated that CCTV footage does increase the success of their efforts to apprehend offenders. The Town of Victoria Park developed a community funding approach to implementing a CCTV network in its Local Government Area, partnering with local residents and property owners to enable a significant increase in access to CCTV footage for local Police. The Town provided partial funding to private property owners to install a CCTV system with one camera overlooking a public area. The Town co-ordinated a database map of all the CCTV locations and provided this to WA Police Force to contact CCTV owners to request footage directly. This presentation will discuss the inception of the program, its development and implementation, the results and outcomes of the program, and the current status of the 2019/20 implementation.


Biography:

Mathew Owens is the Safer Neighbourhoods Officer for the Town of Victoria Park. This role is responsible for planning, implementing and evaulating practical crime prevention and community safety projects and services for the Town.