Viaduct to be caught on camera

Auckland City’s Law and Order Committee today approved the construction of a $55,000 fibre optic cable linking the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the Viaduct Harbour to the police control room in the Jean Batten Building.

The New Zealand Police have agreed to pay the $35,000 required to upgrade the monitoring equipment to accommodate the additional Viaduct Harbour cameras.

Work on installing the fibre optic cable and updating the monitoring equipment is expected to begin in April 2004.

Auckland City’s project manager of traffic and roading services, Mark Kearney, says the inclusion of the 16 Viaduct cameras will boost the number of cameras operating in the central city to 50.

The cameras are monitored by the police during the high risk times and regularly used as an intelligence source.

Chairperson of Auckland City’s Law and Order Committee, Councillor Noelene Raffills says the Viaduct cameras will be a vital addition to the CCTV network.

“This area has the greatest concentration of licensed premises in the CBD. We want people to feel safe while they enjoy their night out at the Viaduct Harbour.”

“According to surveys carried out by the council, Aucklanders are overwhelmingly supportive of the installation of CCTV cameras on their city streets. They say the cameras make them feel safer,” she says.

Senior sergeant Rob Lindsay agrees. “The new CCTV system has played a large part in helping to reduce theft from cars and disorder in the central city,” he says.

Recent police statistics indicate that the central city CCTV system has assisted or been responsible for the arrest of at least 391 people from 1 July to 30 December 2003. In total, there were 1099 police interventions as a result of the cameras, including warnings and follow-up enquiries.

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