Ongoing efforts to improve community safety in the Tamworth region are about to reach an important milestone, with the first permanent Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems soon to be installed in Barraba, Manilla and Kootingal.
About 20 CCTV cameras will be installed over the coming months as part of the continued expansion of the network. These works have been funded by round two of the Safer Communities Fund from the Australian Government.
Tamworth Regional Crime Prevention Working Group Chair, Councillor Russell Webb, said he is grateful for the community's support of this project since the first cameras were installed more than 10 years ago.
"This funding round was provided in late 2018, to be used over a two year period. In that time, we have welcomed a new mobile CCTV trailer and additional cameras in the Tamworth CBD. We have also improved the image quality and storage capacity of our current network."
This stage of the project will be completed by the end of the year. The exact number of cameras will not be known until the network design is completed, but about 12 permanent CCTV cameras will be installed across Barraba, Manilla and Kootingal. In Tamworth, about 10 additional cameras will be installed.
Federal Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said: "Security should not just be for Tamworth, it should also be for the surrounding towns and that's what this program of Safer Communities is delivering for us - providing peace of mind that if something goes wrong, someone is watching."
Cr Webb said: "We now have over 200 permanent cameras in our network, which is setting the benchmark for regional NSW. We will continue to expand our network and work with the local police, businesses and residents to identify crime hotspots."
Police from Oxley Police District request to monitor CCTV footage live and through playback to help identify offenders. Local CCTV footage has been used in a number of successful criminal prosecutions. Earlier this year, CCTV footage was used to identify three juveniles during a break and enter at Scully Park Pool. They were dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.
