BIG BROTHER: Council to vote on massive CCTV program

A bold security strategy aimed at making the Fraser Coast safer could be rolled out if councillors vote in favour of the program

A BOLD security strategy aimed at making the Fraser Coast safer could be rolled out.

The strategy, which councillors will vote on at Wednesday's meeting, proposes new guidelines for installing CCTV cameras in troubled hotspots.

As part of the policy, councillors would review requests for new cameras twice a year.

Fraser Coast Regional Council has installed about 434 cameras across the Fraser Coast to date.

Of those, 226 are accessible by council staff only, 54 are stationed at the Fraser Coast's airports and 137 cameras can be accessed by police.

A total of 114 cameras are used to monitor streets and parks across the region.

The council sought community feedback on the program in October last year to identify areas where security cameras should be installed.

While $629,000 has been allocated from this year's budget for CCTV initiatives, council documents reveal it is difficult to measure the cost of additional surveillance infrastructure.

Over the next decade, costs could balloon out to $2.8 million.

"The current CCTV asset pool of circa $1.34 million and 434 cameras requires a full-time employee to maintain the operational levels and deal with the footage enquiries born from the availability of the service, at a cost of $102,000 per annum," the documents read.

"It is estimated simply replacing the out-of-warranty cameras, networking equipment and other devices will require $250,000-$300,000 per annum for the duration of the asset life, which include at least the next 10 years."

Current CCTV installations across Maryborough CBD, Pialba, Urangan and The Esplanade. Picture: Contributed