Data agreement with Council opens way to community CCTV
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| Front: Deputy Martin Heydon, Sergeant Gavin Duffy, Gda Aisling O'Mahoney; and (back) Sergeant Tom Donoghue, Superintendent Oliver Henry, Cllr Ivan Keatley, Sergeant Steve McQueen, and Tracey O'Dwyer. |
The achievement of this agreement through negotiation between the Council and the Joint Policing Committee means that applications from communities in the county for public CCTV can now be progressed.
Cllr Padraig McEvoy from Clane, where the Community Council has been working on a scheme for some time, said there could be up to 300 public community cameras across the county by 2023.
Last night's meeting was facilitated by Kilcullen's Fine Gael local representative Tracey O'Dwyer and attended by Superintendent Oliver Henry of An Garda along with officers from Naas, Kilcullen and Castledermot. The attendance also included business and community people from Kilcullen and Castledermot.
A comprehensive presentation by Sergeant Gavin Duffy of Kildare Divisional Community Policing provided details of the meticulous process by which a community can apply for a scheme.
This includes the constitution of a Lead Group to carry out the application procedure, undertake a feasibility study, and do a financial costing. A full public information and consultation programme must also be organised.
After a Preliminary Application which will include crime and technical reports from An Garda, a Planning Inspection by Kildare County Council will go through details such as number and type of cameras before giving permission for the application to go through tender and installation stages.
Sergeant Duffy said there is 'a lot of work' in the application process, but it now stands up to data protection requirements.
Superintendent Henry told the meeting that the work on the initiative by the Garda, Cllr Ivan Keatley and others, means that 'the foundations are right' with appropriate structures in place.
He noted that a pilot scheme in Athy, which is ready to be switched on, had helped the group to 'slim down' the paperwork element. "There is still work involved, but if the community is committed to it, so are we, and we can push it on over the next year or so."
Ivan Keatley said the initiative had now developed a strong set of protocols, 'and we don't expect to be knocked back down the GDPR hill'. "What we have in place now, in terms of the Data Commission requirements, is robust."
Deputy Martin Heydon said the whole initiative from the Department of Justice had involved 'a lot of learning', including by the Department itself. But he said the potential benefits are 'huge'. "When the motorway system was set up, we felt a lot more vulnerable to mobile criminals. We developed the ability to mind ourselves through Community Alert, and this will be another string to our bow, a natural extension."
Answering questions, Sergeant Duffy said the use of CCTV would be 'layered' — it can be used to gather evidence, help in investigations, and act as a deterrent. "The idea also is that by monitoring we can improve our response times, get to a situation when something is pivotal, and also help get other emergency services to an incident."
To be compliant with Data Commission requirements, there will be no local storage of data from the community systems. It will be stored by Kildare County Council, and the plan is that a live feed to the 24-hour Naas Garda Divisional HQ would allow monitoring and replay.
Superintendent Henry noted that one of the most prevalent crimes in communities like Kilcullen are burglaries, of which 'very few' are committed by locals. "The vast majority are carried out by people coming out from the city. We would look at certain strategic places, such as close to motorway exits, where cameras might provide more protection than just local ones.
"If you can harden your area against crime, criminals avoid it. Word travels very quickly through the crime community, 'don't go there, they'll get you'."
It was suggested that communities could cluster in their application, such as Kilcullen with Brannockstown and Two Mile House, or Castledermot with Moone, Ballitore and Levitstown. This would help with local fundraising.
On funding, communities will have to raise the cost themselves, with support up to €40,000 for each system being available from the Department. Cllr Keatley said that monies from the LPT have also been set aside by councillors in some areas.
Deputy Heydon said that as the schemes develop, there are likely to be other funding streams available to help.
Sergeant Gavin Duffy is the sole point of contact for all groups interested in preparing an application.
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