Page 1703 - Week 05 - Thursday, 11 May 2017

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have provided this territory is on display every day, and was endorsed by the people of Canberra at the election last year.

ACT Policing—CCTV

MS ORR: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Can the minister please give the Assembly an update on the ACT government’s CCTV network and how it contributes to public safety?

MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Orr for her interest in this area of public safety. The public safety CCTV system installed in 2001 is an ACT government-owned network of interconnected CCTV systems located at various public venues and open spaces.

CCTV systems serve two primary purposes: as a crime prevention measure and as a tool to detect and identify offenders. The ACT government system is managed by the security and emergency management branch of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate. The public safety CCTV network has cameras located at Canberra city, GIO Stadium, Manuka Oval, EPIC, Manuka shopping precinct, Kingston shopping precinct and the Jolimont bus station.

The CCTV systems at most of Canberra’s public bus stations—Belconnen, Woden, Tuggeranong—are managed by Transport Canberra and City Services and are also connected to the system. CCTV footage is recorded by these systems 24 hours a day. The footage is retained for 30 days, as required by the Territory Records Act 2002, after which it is destroyed unless required for investigative purposes.

ACT Policing have dedicated staff that monitor the public safety CCTV system on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The purpose of the monitoring is to enhance public safety by identifying antisocial or criminal activity early and dispatching police resources in a timely manner. ACT Policing may also use the system at any other time to assist with incident management and response.

MS ORR: Can the minister please advise what innovations have been implemented to improve the functioning of the CCTV network?

MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Orr for her supplementary. Improvements to the public safety CCTV system now permit live and recorded footage to be viewed on enabled PCs at any location where there is ACT government ICT network access. This was used to great benefit during the National Multicultural Festival this year.

A range of new CCTV cameras is currently being installed as well. Following a trial, new high definition multi-lens cameras will be installed at various locations in the city, Manuka and Kingston. These new cameras will provide enhanced fields of view, resolution and clarity in low-light conditions.

A strategic operations plan for the public safety CCTV system is being developed to ensure the network remains current and addresses future community safety needs. The plan is expected to be available by June 2017. JACS is also investigating and seeking to trial the use of Canberra’s wi-fi network or commercial 4G networks to route the


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