The Safer City Camera Program is based on a partnership model between Greater Shepparton City Council and Victoria Police, with the main network control station being based in the Shepparton Police Station watch house and a secondary control station being located within the station to accommodate Greater Shepparton City Council camera operators between 11:00pm and 5:00am on a Friday and Saturday night.
The introduction of CCTV cameras within the Shepparton CBD has positively contributed to a reduction of assaults and behavioural offences.
Chairperson of the Safe City Advisory Committee Cr Les Oroszvary said “The system has been in place for 3 years and there are a number of positives that have flowed from its installation.”
There is no doubt that the crime rate within the CBD has fallen, especially during the times when late night revellers are congregating in and around or leaving licensed premises.
With trained staff monitoring the cameras during the peak periods, we are able to identify issues and stop crime before it occurs. The data in regards to the number of incidents police members are attending, speaks for itself.
Since the launch of the SCCN there have been over 400 incidents recorded by Greater Shepparton City Council monitoring staff up until April 2017.
Looking at comparison data from the first 12 months from the SCCN launch (May 2014 to April 2015) to the last 12 month of incident data (May 2016 – April 2017) GSCC monitoring staff have witnessed a 39% drop in total number of incidents during GSCC active monitoring times.
“As part of a council conscious of community safety, it is my firm belief that in its intended area of operation it has been very effective as a deterrent and also greatly assisted local police who monitor the system in close co-operation from dedicated and trained council staff,” said Cr Oroszvary.
“The presence of the cameras is a deterrent to a lot of ‘would be” troublemakers and criminals. The cameras have been fantastic both as an investigative tool and as a preventative measure, with the high standard of footage available police have evidence of high quality for their investigations. This has been evident on a number of occasions when investigating serious crime related matters to a minor collision in a carpark.” said Shepparton Police Senior Sergeant Ross Brittian.
The close working relationship between Victoria Police, Greater Shepparton Council and community partners as well as strong community engagement have been the main factors attributing to the success of the Safer City Camera Network initiative.
