Bayside Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NSW Police St George Area Command that will give police access to more than 70 CCTV cameras in the local government area.
Mayor, Christina Curry said Bayside Council will provide secure access which will allow NSW Police to view live feeds, as well as historical data, from the Council’s network of cameras spread across Brighton Le Sands and surrounding areas.
The MOU to facilitate the sharing of resources to increase community safety was signed by the Mayor and Commander St George Police Area Command, Superintendent Rohan Cramsie (both are pictured, below).
“This formal agreement strengthens our already close working relationship with the NSW Police, and will help our ongoing efforts to combat hooning and anti-social behaviour,” Mayor Curry said.
Under the agreement, Council will provide remote access to its public CCTV camera system for law enforcement purposes, including investigation and relevant court proceedings.
The agreement also gives the NSW Police the ability to conduct preliminary investigation through viewing historic footage from Council’s network.
All information collected via the cameras is done so in a lawful manner and within the guidelines and regulations set down by the New South Wales Government including the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and Surveillance Devices Act 2007, as the NSW Government policy for the establishment and implementation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in public places, Council said in a statement.
The Privacy and Personal Information Protection Regulation 2005 exempts councils from section 11 of the PPIP Act with respect to the collection of personal information utilising CCTV cameras in a public place and allows for footage to be transmitted live to the NSW Police Force.
The agreement is limited to Council’s CCTV network in public places and does not include
cameras inside Council buildings.
The Council, with funding from Federal Government grants through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, has expanded its CCTV network to increase community safety and provide support to the NSW Police for the prosecution of hooning and criminal behaviour.
