VIDEO: Security cameras help keep Wondai streets safe

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it’s Wondai’s new security cameras!

EYES ON YOU: Fred Law, president of the Wondai Lions Club, Senior Constable Susan Stevens from the Wondai Police, Luke Radunz from DataWave Internet Wondai, Councillor Ros Heit and Brian Hodson from Wondai Neighbourhood Watch at the official launch of the new Wondai security cameras. . Picture: Kate McCormack

WONDAI police have effectively just received 64 new recruits down at their station this week with the introduction of 35 new security devices set up around town.

The security devices officially launched this week provide 64 new sets of eyes for the two-person station lead by Senior Constable Susan Stevens who said the introduction of the town's new security system will be a giant help to delivering justice in Wondai.

"This is a wonderful investment for our town and our police station," she said.

Senior Constable Susan Stevens from the Wondai Police at the official launch of the new Wondai security cameras. Picture: Kate McCormack

"The camera's provide 64 high quality images from around Wondai and will make solving cases much more efficient."

Councillor Ros Heit said the funds for the security camera project came about thanks to a grant the Wondai Lions club applied for through the Federal Government's Safer Communities Fund.

"We were unsuccessful for the grant the first time we applied last year, but thankfully we made the cut off the next time we applied and we received $217,600 to put towards the project," Cr Heit said.

"We decided to involve Luke Radunz on from DataWave here in Wondai so we could use a local business and have a local person to go to if there were ever any problems in the future.

"From there we formed a team consisting of myself, Senior Constable Stevens, president of the Wondai Lions club Fred Law and Luke to determine where we were going to situate the cameras to allow for the most effective amount of surveillance."

One of the new Wondai security cameras. Picture: Kate McCormack

Cr Heit said because the majority of Wondai's population is made of older residents, the extra surveillance in town was necessary for the townspeople to feel more safe in their community.

"There wasn't necessarily a spike in crime within Wondai as such, but the community just felt it was necessary to have some more surveillance in place to keep a better eye on our streets, homes and CBD," she said.

Fred Law said even though the surveillance project was initially a Lions project, the high tech system would soon be fully in the hands of the Wondai Police.

"We want to make it clear that Lions helped obtain the funding needed to make this project a reality, but we will be handing the whole project over to the Wondai Police Station shortly and it will be their full responsibility to take the reins from there on," he said. 

Cr Heit also wanted to make it clear even though a feed of the security system was fed through a council receiver, the police were the only ones to have access to any of the security surveillance system's footage. 

"This is solely to assist the police here in Wondai do their job and they are the only people who have access to any of the footage recorded," she said.

Now the community can rest easier knowing there's an additional 64 eyes watching over the wonderful community of Wondai, 24 hours, seven days a week.

Take a look at our video below to see how the cameras operate from within the police station: