WYNDHAM Council has not requested state government funding for new surveillance cameras in Werribee’s CBD, despite support from police.
Police made a case for a CCTV camera on the corner of Watton Street and Station Place last October after the announcement of $3 million to boost council surveillance networks.
The extra funding was made available after the death of Brunswick woman Jill Meagher, whose last known movements were captured on a Sydney Road shop’s security camera.
But Wyndham chief executive Kerry Thompson said the council believed CCTV had “mixed success” and “little effect” on perceptions of public safety.
She said the council, which operates CCTV at sites where vandalism and illegal dumping is rife, was reviewing the need for more cameras.
Acting Inspector Damian Christensen said public CCTV cameras were beneficial tools for gathering evidence because they were co-ordinated out of the police station.
“If there’s a call for triple-0 for a brawl, we could ask for a Watton Street CCTV to focus in on the evidence and the footage would beam live into the police station,” he said.
“The need for a new camera could be debated, but I nominated Watton Street because you have licensed premises, you have a transport hub, a taxi precinct and two railway crossings that have had significant traffic incidents over the past five years.”
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Wyndham police rely on footage from venues required under their liquor licences to install CCTV.
The new Park Hotel, on the corner of Watton Street and Station Place, has backed the push for a police-operated CCTV camera on the strip.
The venue has drawn praise for its “above-and-beyond” security focus, including 36 CCTV cameras and a security guard stationed at the front door while it’s open.
Co-owner Nick Christou said it recently received council permission to put up fairy lights outside the venue in a bid to light the area.
