Tasmanian police will now have access to 330 cameras installed around Hobart after forming a collaboration with the local government.
The City of Hobart has recently invested $1.8 million (US$1.2 million) in upgrading and extending its CCTV network, in a move Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds says will serve as an insurance policy in case of offending on the capital’s streets.
In audio from a Sept. 19 media conference supplied to The Epoch Times, Reynolds said the partnership with police would give them “real-time” access to footage, which she called “important and strategic.”
Reynolds responded to questions about privacy issues by saying CCTV is a common practice in public areas and that people are not being purposely monitored.
“These are all in public spaces and common facilities in cities all over Australia and the world, they really do help to manage public spaces; ensure public safety,” she said.
“So, I think there’s an acceptance that there’s a lot of good for having eyes on the ground and for police to be able to access the footage in real time and use it for criminal investigations.”
Reynolds said the city was “relatively safe” but that the cameras would serve as an insurance policy against anything untoward.
“It’s not going into private spaces... people aren’t sitting there monitoring the cameras all the time,” she said.
“It really is to help assist when things go wrong in the city and that’s why it’s fantastic that our footage is now coming straight into the police so that they can use it in the most strategic way.”
Jason Elmer, commander of Tasmanian Police Southern District said the partnership allowed police to view real-time footage, play footage back, and download relevant files.
“Installed less than a month ago, this portal has already proved to be an excellent tool for managing active incidents and extracting evidence after an event,” he said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
“On the very first day of the portal being installed, officers used the system to help guide their colleagues on the beat to locate a suspect who had committed an offence in the CBD.
“In another example, officers were able to monitor the welfare of the people stuck at the Mt Wellington Visitor Centre in the recent severe weather event.”
However, concerns over the implications of using CCTV surveillance on individual privacy continue to grow globally.
