Why Coffs Harbour wants police to have live access to public cameras

The City of Coffs Harbour is planning to give police live access to its video network – including closed-circuit television (CCTV). The move, which council says could help deter crime and aid investigations, is currently under consultation and a draft version of the policy has been made available for community feedback.

What happened: The City of Coffs Harbour council’s proposal was put forwars at the February council meeting.

In practice, it would give police live access to its video network, CCTV, fixed and body-worn cameras, cameras attached to council vehicles and hand-held cameras such as smart phones. 

Not so fast: Allowing these changes will require an amendment to the City’s Video Surveillance in Public Areas Policy.

• At the February Council Meeting, councillors agreed to put the new draft policy on public exhibition, meaning anyone can provide feedback over a 28 days period.

What’s the policy: Coffs Harbour council intends to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NSW Police to allow the live feed access. 

Mayor Nikki Williams said the memorandum would establish the “guard-rails” covering privacy, controlled rights of access and legal covenants. 

• “The draft policy lists the various forms of video which may be taken in public areas, and how this can – and cannot – be used,” General Manager Murray Wood said in a statement.

• For example, it states cameras will be used for law enforcement purposes only, which promote public safety, protect assets and assist the City’s Authorised Officers in conducting lawful investigations.

Wood also confirmed police can already access the council’s video, but there’s a time lag in the request process and described the current arrangement as a “drain on staff time”. 

“It also helps us to protect the community’s public assets,” Wood said. 

What does an expert say? Doctor Justin Ellis, a senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Newcastle School of Law and Justice, said crime in public areas can be deterred by creating vibrant and activated public spaces that people want to use.

• “CCTV cameras should not be a substitute for the creation of welcoming and inclusive, vibrant public spaces, that in themselves can deter crime,” Ellis told the Mid North Coaster. 

Ellis said it would be useful to have more clarity on how privacy and other rights would be protected if the police were given access to the live CCTV footage. 

Council exemptions: The Council’s draft policy (Video Surveillance on Public and other Lands Policy) states that local councils, like the City of Coffs Harbour, are exempt from section 11 and section 18 of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 No 133.

• Section 11 refers to collecting personal information when using a council installed  CCTV camera for  the purpose of filming a public place,  if the camera is positioned so no other land is filmed.

• Section 18 is about disclosing personal information through live stream from a council CCTV camera to NSW Police.

What next: Public submissions can be made until March 29. Once the public exhibition period is over, a report will be brought back to council for consideration.

The draft policy can be viewed here.

Thumbnail: Unsplash.