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Concerns are raised following CCTV report

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

THE operation of CCTV as a deterrent to crime is riddled with difficulties, is not an effective deterrent to drug dealing and is only effective in one case in 10 in catching illegal dumping.
That’s according to a Dublin City Council report, which was presented to Cllr Emer Costello, who had called for CCTV to be installed at Annesley Bridge to survey activities in the vicinity of Fairview Park.
According to the report, the installation of passive CCTV, which are cameras not monitored in real time but viewed after the event, is not effective in combating incidences of drug dealing, as it does not provide any proof or useful footage that any item being exchanged is actually a prescribed drug.
“In recent years drug users have been buying and selling benzodiazepines in full public view; this practice is often referred to in the media as illegal drug dealing,” the report read.
“However, since benzodiazepines are not a prescribed drug, the only charges the gardai can bring are under the casual trading by-laws.”
The report also notes that the city council’s experience in using CCTV to capture incidences of illegal dumping leads them to the conclusion that this approach is only about 10 per cent effective in actually capturing a dumping act.
It also said it would be doubtful if CCTV would be of any benefit in improving the anti-social behaviour at Fairview Park, and it is considered that the matter be best dealt with by the gardai.
Cllr Costello said the report was quite shocking. She now intends to make a submission to the Joint Policing Committee requesting that both Dublin City Council and the gardai furnish reports as to the actual effectiveness of CCTV in preventing and solving crime.
“I really feel we need more information around the whole subject of CCTV,” stated Cllr Costello.
“I also believe the city council needs to formulate a policy document regarding the use of CCTV and not to be reacting to the issue in an ad hoc way.”
Cllr Costello also referred to the practice of private residents erecting CCTV cameras outside their own homes in an attempt to protect their property from anti-social behaviour
“It appears to be the case that residents can erect the cameras and not be in breach of the Data Protection Act,” she added.
“However, you have to be very careful when it comes to the processing of that information by the city council; I feel residents need to know this.”
A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said the Data Protection Acts do not prohibit private individuals from putting CCTV cameras on their premises for security purposes.
“The processing of personal data kept by an individual and concerned solely with the management of his/her personal, family or household affairs or kept by an individual for recreational purposes is exempt from the provisions of the Acts,” stated the spokesperson.
“This exemption would generally apply to the use of CCTV in a domestic environment.
“If the data collected is used for any other purposes, the exemptions cease to apply.
“Therefore, the processing of any personal data collected by a private individual as described above by another third party, such as Dublin City Council, for other purposes would be in breach of the Data Protection Acts,” added the spokesperson.

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