A $376,000 upgrade to Canberra’s public safety CCTV system will cover more areas with clearer recordings, says Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mick Gentleman. 

“These upgrades provide superior levels of image clarity and area coverage to improve public safety through the CCTV network.

“The reliability of the system has also been improved by replacing the cabling in the city with fibre optic, providing better performance and capability for our camera network.

In addition, the Justice and Community Safety Directorate will soon begin a trial of new stand-alone portable CCTV units, which will further expand the system’s capability.

The new stand-alone units are solar-powered and transmit recorded data securely over the mobile network.

“The ACT Government is currently considering sites to trial the new stand-alone units in the coming months,” Minister Gentleman says. 

“The results of the trial will determine how best to deploy these new units, with potential for them to be used at major public events or where anti-social and criminal behaviour concerns are identified.”

Live and recorded footage can be transmitted securely from these units to a remote location for viewing, which was used to great benefit during the 2017 Multicultural Festival.

The public safety CCTV System incorporates a series of interconnected CCTV systems located in Kingston, Manuka, GIO Stadium, Manuka Oval, Exhibition Park and the city.

Footage from the cameras is recorded 24 hours a day.

The system is actively monitored by ACT Policing to identify anti-social or criminal activity early and to more effectively deploy police resources.

It also can be used to assist with criminal investigations and incident management and responses.