In 1995, Queensland’s Toowoomba City Council introduced its City Safe program to enhance public safety and the wellbeing of residents and visitors to Toowoomba. Some 53 cameras now monitor activities in inner city areas to prevent and identify situations that would alarm residents, damage or destroy property, and prevent and deter anti social behaviour.
A control room is located in a Council operated car park facility. During normal working hours Council employees, who also perform car park attendant duties, monitor the cameras. At other peak periods, there is dedicated monitoring by private security personnel. A monitor is also located in the Police Communications Centre, with vision controlled by camera operators.
Videotapes are erased after two weeks unless they are needed to assist police with investigations. Many successful prosecutions against illegal acts committed in the CBD have been a direct result of City Safe cameras.
Toowoomba’s Manager Assets, Tom Redwood, said that anti social behaviour in the CBD dropped by two thirds after Toowoomba installed its cameras in 1995. He said that incidents had remained at that low level ever since and the number of cameras has been increased from an initial 13 to the 53 now in use.
“More offenders plead guilty because the evidence from the cameras is overwhelming and that saves a lot of time for police and the court system,” he said. “Before we installed our first cameras we canvassed acceptance from the community and the business sector by assuring them that the strictest protocols on privacy and protection of civil rights would be observed. The integrity of the system and the fact that it is run by Council on behalf of the community has been the key to the continuing support we have received.”
The Toowoomba City Safe initiative was the second of its kind in Queensland after Brisbane. Council staff involved in overseeing the City Safe program have since been involved in consultancies involving advice, design, or writing protocols in answer to requests from other Councils concerned about safety in their community. After providing information to the ACT Government, Toowoomba was approached by Cairns, and later Moree, Lismore, Armidale, Warwick, Gosford, Dubbo, Maryborough, Noosa, Maroochy, Gympie and Gatton Councils for advice.
Toowoomba is now trialling a two way radio security system that uses a dedicated licence to monitor what is happening between nightclubs in the city.
For further information contact Frank Reimann, Project Officer, on (07) 4688 6791.
