New cutting edge CCTV for Charlestown

New cutting edge CCTV for Charlestown


Trevor Quinn

Surveillance systems almost 50 times more powerful than traditional CCTV are being trialled and fitted in Charlestown as part of a national initiative to test the impact of the new-age technology.
Padraic Cafferty, executive chairman of Northwood Technology and proprietor of Charlestown’s Westpoint Business Centre, Barrack Street said the installation of the advanced digital cameras would benefit both consumers and local businesses. The cameras will initially be trialled on a three-month basis but if they prove successful this will be increased for an indefinite period.
The state-of-the-art cameras utilise the latest in digital technology to retain a wide-angle view of much larger areas than analogue cameras can capture. New modern software can then allow the facilitator to zoom in to specific areas of the picture enhancing and brightening images as they deem appropriate. During editing practices it is even possible to alter distorted faces to make them recognisable.
The cameras can cost as much as €5,000 as opposed to just €300 for traditional CCTV cameras, but Northwood Technology’s Padraic Cafferty said he believed the cameras have the capability to be of great benefit in assisting with prosecutions. 
“On occasions the Gardai came in to our premises looking for footage in relation to various incidences. There’s a lot of new technology coming on stream and I thought showcasing this technology would be a positive for Charlestown. The benefits should be two-fold. It will benefit the town, people will feel safer going about their daily business and it will also benefit ourselves and other businesses in the area.”
Local Sinn Fein Councillor Gerry Murray welcomed the installation of the state-of-the-art security system and said that it was likely the cameras would be used in Charlestown on a long-term basis. “This is a working model and we’re going to evaluate the performance and impact it has over the coming months. We have no serious public order problems but we think this can be of great benefit.”
Cafferty says he has met regularly with the local town committee and the chamber of commerce and there is overwhelming support for the security system. Now further dialogue will take place between public representatives, local committee groups and business owners to formulate a viable plan for the surveillance cameras and put a reliable operational system in place.
“It’s a great way of making people aware of what Charlestown has to offer,” he says. “People coming to the town will feel safer and it will bring a lot of positive attention. There has also been growing incidences of petty crime in recent years and this development will also help to eradicate that issue.”
At a recent security conference in Citywest Hotel, Dublin, Northwood Technology’s Paul Hennessy said: “One [camera] can do the same job that 48 analogue cameras can do.” Mr Hennessy also confirmed that a number of local authorities in the west have installed the cameras to help identify the perpetrators of illegal dumping.
The new age cameras have been installed at Dublin’s Aviva stadium, and are in place at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. They have also been installed in the Mersey Tunnel in Liverpool and are being used to identify passing motorists.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said they were monitoring all crime prevention measures in the security industry which can benefit members of An Garda Siochana in their duties. Commissioner Callinan was very positive when describing the huge value they can bring to an investigation.