Bayside Council and The NSW Police St George Area Command have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) giving police access to over 70 CCTV cameras.
Council, with financial assistance from the Federal Government grants through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, has been expanding its CCTV network to increase community safety and provide support to the NSW Police for the prosecution of hooning and criminal behaviour.
Bayside Council will provide secure access which will allow NSW Police 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 Dr Christina Curry and Superintendent Rohan Cramsie, Commander St George Police Area Command.
"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 Dr Christina 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.
This 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.
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.
This agreement is limited to Council's CCTV network in public places and does not include cameras inside Council buildings.
