Street safety cameras
An eye on the street
Certain areas of the city have higher rates of crime than others. We have installed street safety cameras in these areas identified by the NSW Bureau of Crime and Statistics to help NSW Police detect, prevent and prosecute assaults and robberies, and other serious offences such as property damage.
More than 80 cameras across the city centre are monitored 24 hours a day by specially trained security personnel at a Town Hall control centre where live images can be transferred to police so they can respond quickly if someone's personal safety is at immediate risk.
Camera recordings are held for 28 days to help police with their investigations and legal proceedings if required. Street safety camera areas are clearly sign-posted to prevent crime, increase the perception of public safety and to make people aware for privacy reasons.
Privacy protections
The tightest privacy controls have been put in place to balance crime prevention needs and the right to individual privacy, which limits the scope of the safety camera program to:
- crimes against the person
- serious crimes
- crowd management.
Our code of practice and protocols covering street camera use is rigorous. It includes an independent audit committee made up of legal experts and civil liberties advocates that is charged with ensuring the code is upheld.
You can download the documents below.
| Downloads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Street safety camera protocols | PDF 247.7 KB | Download |
| Street safety camera code of practice | PDF 251.8 KB | Download |
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Last updated: Wednesday, 15 May 2013