Shoalhaven councillors call for CCTV review amid spike in Nowra crime

A gap in CCTV coverage across carparks and commercial areas in a busy South Coast town has emerged amid a rise in crime.

The high-profile closure of a recently-opened function centre has brought new attention to security in the busy South Coast town of Nowra, amid calls for expanded CCTV coverage in streets and carparks.

Shoalhaven Council unanimously passed a motion to explore expanded security across the city after reports by local media blaming anti-social behaviour for the temporary closure of Greenhouse Eatery.

At its meeting on June 6, councillor Paul Ell, who lives and works in the town, said many residents were concerned about a recent spate of vandalism, including cars being keyed.

“There’s been vandalism of businesses right outside of my own place of employment,” Cr Ell said.

“We’ve seen these incidents happen on the streets. It‘s a very complicated issue. There’s a whole bunch of causes, including policing issues and other social issues, which come into it as well.”

The motion, Cr Ell introduced, urges council staff to compile a detailed report for the council on the prevalence of CCTV cameras across Nowra, including at council-run facilities.

Junction St in Nowra is home to many businesses, including the newly opened Greenhouse Eatery. Picture: Google Maps

“One of the big gaps in our CCTV coverage as a city and as a community is in our council-owned carparks,” Cr Ell said.

“A very good friend of mine, who is a single mum, had her brand new car keyed up and down the sides of it at a council-owned carpark.

“Unfortunately, due to the lack of CCTV in the carpark she was parked in at the time, there was no way of determining who was responsible. So she, on a limited income, has had to cop the $1000 insurance excess to deal with that issue.”

An amendment put forward by councillor Tonia Gray and supported by Cr Ells seeks to involve Nowra police in an “evidence-based” approach to identifying crime hot spots in the Shoalhaven.

That motion posed some issues for councillor John Wells, who questioned how the cameras would be audited, stating that the amendment expand the program to the whole council area, not just Nowra.

“It does make the task of auditing and reporting significantly larger, massive in fact, because it‘s applied to the whole city,” he said.

Cr Evan Christen replied: “It may be a bigger task, but it makes sure our investments land in the right place and really help the community.”

The motion ultimately passed unanimously.