Installation work on a network of safety cameras in Mildura Rural City Council’s CBD proceeded swiftly and unobtrusively, thanks to the use of an Australian first fibre optic technology.
To make installation more efficient and less obtrusive, Council used Canadian
developed Teraspan technology
to connect the 20 security cameras, which were installed as part of the City’s safety strategy.
Located in northwest Victoria, Mildura experiences a Mediterranean type climate with extreme heat during summer.
Teraspan is an efficient, resilient and versatile form of fibre optic that is easily installed and tailored to match extreme climatic conditions. In addition, the installation of Teraspan does not require a trench to be dug, minimising interruptions or rehabilitation work on infrastructure such as footpaths. This choice of product has enabled the installation of more than 1,100 millimetres of fibre optic cable swiftly and efficiently, ensuring no interruptions to existing services.
A specialist from Canada travelled to Mildura to assist local technicians with the installation process for the cable.
Councillor for Community Safety, Glenn Milne, said a number of crime prevention experts visited Mildura during June to observe the installation of this product.
“The visits show the significance of this event,” he said. “The local contractors doing the work had no hesitation in using the new product, which has worked out really well.
“Anyone who was in Mildura’s CBD during the week of installation would barely have noticed the work. The fact that deep trenches and disruptive infrastructure works were not required to lay the cable meant the cost to Council of replacing any infrastructure as a result of the installation work was minimised, as was business and public inconvenience during and after installation.”
Installation of the entire network was completed in August this year, when the cameras were switched on.
Councillor Milne said the camera network, which is monitored during peak periods such as Friday and Saturday nights, acts as a deterrent for would be offenders, and also provides important information to assist police with enquiries.
“Each camera has a 360 degree range of view, as well as zoom in, zoom out capabilities,” he said. “It acts as a deterrent because people will have to be a little bit more conscious about what they do and the way they act, particularly at night.”
For further information contact Jak Kane, Council’s Community Safety Project Manager, on (03) 5018 8254.
