COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 09, 2008

QUESTION NO. 10

QUESTION: Councillor T. McDermott

To ask the Manager for a report on the deployment and use of CCTV cameras to monitor council property and that the report would identify their number, location, purpose and operational management?

REPLY:

The Council through the Community Department is involved with the Community CCTV grant scheme administered by Pobal.

In South Dublin County four applications for grant assistance were approved and cameras will be erected at 26 locations throughout the County by the end of summer 2008.

Cameras will be located as follows :-

North Clondalkin

Jobstown

Brookfield / Fettercairn

Killinarden

All camera locations have been approved by the Joint Policing Committee.

The CCTV projects are being managed by the following groups :-

Clondalkin Partnership Ltd.

PARTAS and the

Jobstown Community Development Project Ltd.

The Council will act as ‘ Data Controller ‘ for each project to ensure that the Department of Justice ‘ Code Of Practice ‘ is adhered to by all concerned.

Likewise compliance with the Data Protection acts, 1988 and 2003 and The Garda Siochana Act 2005 is required with regard to the control, storage and dissemination of data.

It is not intended that there will be continuous monitoring of the cameras during first year of operation. All cameras will be checked twice daily to ensure that they are working correctly and data stored.

Images will be stored for 28/31day cycles on disc and if required to be viewed a system will be put in place to facilitate this. Copies can be made if required for court cases if necessary.

The Council is committed to establishing a central monitoring system for community CCTV systems  and a number of options in this regard are currently being investigated.

Seven departments in the Council are currently in or are considering involvement in CCTV as a mechanism to assist in meeting Council objective of delivering a cleaner and safer environment for the community generally.

Use of CCTV by the Council is at a very early stage in its development but is expected to grow into the future. Accordingly a single overall policy governing their use will be drawn up in the coming year.

The feasibility of an integrated monitoring system covering many or all Council departments is being considered.

It should be noted that in addition to the Council’s and community CCTV schemes, An Garda Siochana is also rolling out systems nationwide.

Work is ongoing on the Tallaght system which will have 35 cameras and Clondalkin currently has 14 cameras in operation.

Parks Department

CCTV cameras are located at the following locations

Location                                            Monitored by                 Purpose     

Tymon depot                                       Depot staff                       To provide

Sean Walsh Park                                  Depot Staff                      safety for

Pedestrian Bridge N81                          Depot Staff                      customers

Saggart Depot                                     Depot Staff                      and record

Killinarden Playground                          Tech Secuirity                   activity on

Kiltalown Playground                            Tech Secuirity                   an on          

Jobstown Playground                            Staff                                going basis.

Corkagh Fishery                                   Fishery Shop

Outter ring road carpark                       Fishery shop

Caravan Park Camac                            Shop/Reception

Corkagh Playground                             Depot Staff

Environment Department

The environment Dept makes extensive use of CCTV technology in its efforts to combat illegal dumping both at its Bring Bank sites and at remote dumping sites throughout the county. A combination of fixed, mobile and covert technologies are used and have proven to be quite successful since their introduction in August 2007. In all 1,283 fines have issued as a direct result of the use of CCTV.

Housing Department

The Housing Department operates circa 20 cameras across the County for estate management and control of anti-social behaviour measures.