Criminal action on the streets of Casino will soon be beamed directly to the local police station via a series of closed circuit television cameras.
The $463,000 CCTV network is being funded by the Federal Government and is expected to be installed in the next three months.
Richmond Valley Council mayor Ernie Bennett reducing the opportunity to commit a crime was an important aspect of building safer communities.
He said evidence showed surveillance was a useful crime prevention strategy.
‘CCTV makes the town safer, it can save lives, and it most certainly will prevent crime – no doubt about any of that,’ Cr Bennett said.
The surveillance network will include an estimated 52 hi-tech, infrared CCTV cameras, including four pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) cameras that will operate in prominent positions throughout the town.
The council’s general manager John Walker said the entire CCTV network would be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mr Walker said the council was committed to taking immediate action wherever it could, and was hopeful the cameras would act as both a deterrent and a crime-solving tool.
He said the infrared cameras could “recognise” a face from several hundred metres.
In addition, the PTZ cameras can make a 360-degree sweep of the environment, change angles to look at objects both above and below the camera, and zoom in to give objects greater detail.
‘The cameras will be able to capture clean images during the day and night, which is exactly what you want,” Mr Walker said.
‘Night-time security is vital to have because criminals will often choose to act under the cover of darkness.
‘This is why infra-red CCTV is a great all-round surveillance choice – it gets good picture coverage no matter the time of day or night.’
CCTV cameras will be installed at the intersections of Barker, Canterbury, Centre and Walker streets, and will cover all adjoining areas, including the Irving Bridge and McAuliffe Park.
The PTZ cameras will also be situated on Centre and Walker streets, Centre and Barker, and Barker and Walker, as well as near the Caltex Service Station.
Federa MP Kevin Hogan said delivering the network had been central to his election campaign ‘because we should always be able to walk our streets in safety, particularly our older residents’.
The council has accepted a tender from SAT Pty Ltd, a Sydney-based radio communications consultancy, to implement the $463,000 closed circuit television (CCTV) project that has been funded by the Federal Government.
