Salisbury Council to deploy portable CCTV cameras in six-month trial
A northern suburbs council will use portable security cameras as part of a new strategy to stop illegal dumping, hoon driving and graffiti.
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Portable security cameras are to be deployed across the northern suburbs in a bid to catch hoon drivers, illegal dumpers and graffiti vandals.
Salisbury Council has approved a six-month trial of putting mobile CCTV devices into crime hot spots to covertly film vehicle license plates.
The trial is part of a crime prevention strategy which also includes fixed CCTV cameras, a graffiti removal team and a concerted campaign against illegal dumping.
A comprehensive report presented to elected members late last year found police data had identified Salisbury, Burton, Para Hills West, Parafield and Salisbury South as the areas with the most crime.
The report said figures for some crimes – such as robbery, theft, fraud and property damage – averaged up to 26 per cent higher in Salisbury than the rest of the state.
The report said a survey of residents had found they gave the city an overall safety rating of 6.2 out of 10, with people feeling unsafe because of “people in the area”, “crime”, “drugs and alcohol” and “hoons”.
Those who felt most unsafe were aged between 25 and 34.
The report suggested a range of measures to reduce crime within the Salisbury Council area, including a trial of portable CCTV cameras.
During the $65,000 trial, eight cameras will be deployed in pairs at various locations which have been analysed for incidents involving illegal dumping, misuse of vehicles and graffiti attacks.
A detailed list of known crime spots was presented to a council committee last Monday before it voted to proceed with the CCTV trial.
The councillor behind the trial, Chad Buchanan, said illegal dumping was costing Salisbury ratepayers almost $1 million a year to clean up while hoon driving was a widespread problem.
“The introduction of the portable CCTV program is an important measure to help combat illegal dumping and reduce hoon driving,” he said.
“Councils are the first contact for residents impacted by illegal dumping and hoon driving. They have a responsibility to do their part in combating local crime.”
A council report on the CCTV trial said there were limitations with the ability of the cameras to enable facial recognition. They were able, however, to film the number plates of vehicles used for illegal dumping or hoon driving.
The cameras were contained in a bright yellow cage, with solar-charged batteries and sirens which would activate if anyone approached them or tried to damage them.