The Western Bay of Plenty District Council is working to enhance community safety by using its annual $50,000 CCTV Fund. The fund is used to install security cameras in shared public spaces within the district.
This year, four locations have been identified as needing additional surveillance. These areas were selected through a community application process that took place in July. The selected locations for the 2023 fund are the intersections of Omanawa Road and State Highway 29 in Lower Kaimai, Sharp Road and State Highway 2 in Aongatete, Warner Road and Oropi Road in Oropi, and Te Matai Road and State Highway 36 in Ngawaro.
The purpose of the fund is to prevent crime and discourage anti-social behavior. It helps to expand the existing network of 84 CCTV cameras in the Western Bay area.
Kerrie Little, the Council’s operations manager, said that there were many applications for the fund. This shows that the community strongly supports increased surveillance. She explained that the locations were chosen based on the number of applications, the crime rate in the area, police recommendations, and the need to evenly distribute the CCTV network across the district.
The applications for the CCTV Fund were reviewed by a panel that included councilors Rodney Joyce, Margaret Murray-Benge, and Richard Crawford, as well as Kerrie Little and a representative from the NZ Police.
The CCTV fund is part of the Council’s Long Term Plan 2021-2031, and it has received strong support from the five Community Boards. This is the last year of the three-year fund, and its continuation will be reviewed in the Long Term Plan 2024-34.
For more information on the fund and to see where cameras have been installed in previous years, visit westernbay.govt.nz/cctvfund.
