Draft Closed Circuit Television in Public Places Policy

You are invited to have your say on the Draft Closed Circuit Television in Public Places Policy.

Policy objective

The policy is part of a broader crime prevention and community safety strategy and aims to assist in the reduction of crime . CCTV in public places aims to:

• Reduce crime,
• Detect offences,
• Identify and prosecute offenders, and
• Promote a safe and secure community.

Policy scope

CCTV cameras are currently installed in 32 sites across Murwillumbah, Kingscliff and Tweed Heads South.

The draft policy provides a framework for the implementation, installation management and operation of a closed circuit surveillance system in public places within the Tweed Shire Council area. The policy is based on 4 principles:

• Purpose, privacy and the public interest
• Ownership and responsibilities of the program
• Retention, access to information and CCTV management
• Audit and Evaluation of the program

Policy background

In 2014, the NSW Department of Justice provided the “NSW Government policy statement and guidelines for the establishment and implementation of closed circuit television (CCTV) in public places”.

On 7 July 2016, Council adopted the Policy “CCTV Murwillumbah and Kingscliff CBD and Tweed Heads South”.

This draft policy arises from recommendations made by Council’s Internal Audit to more closely align with the NSW Government policy statement and guidelines for the establishment and implementation of closed circuit television (CCTV) in public places and Council’s obligations under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (Cth).

Have your say

The draft policy is now on now on public exhibition. Written submissions must be received by 4.00 pm on Monday 14 December 2020.

It should be noted that in accordance with Council policy and the provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 – ‘GIPAA,’ confidential information contained within submissions may be released upon a request being made by a third party.

Photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash