Westport to come under watchful eye of CCTV

Westport to come under watchful eye of CCTV


Neill O’Neill

BIG Brother will be watching Westport shortly, as CCTV cameras are due to be installed at two locations. The footage will be recorded and monitored at the local garda station.
A CCTV scheme has long been on the cards for Westport, and at last week’s meeting of the local town council, Cllr Christy Hyland had a notice of motion on the agenda regarding the issue. This is not a regular occurrence for Westport Town Council, and Cllr Hyland was looking for answers, which he got.
The cameras will be located at the top of Bridge Street and at the junction of O’Donnell’s Shoe Shop, O’Grady’s Pub and the central bridge over the Carrowbeg River. These are where the highest numbers of public order arrests are made in the town.
Uncertainty about the number of cameras to be installed arose, but Westport Town Clerk, Ann Moore, and Town Engineer, Patrick Corcoran, said it was their understanding that the allocation is for two locations covered by multiple cameras, rather than just two cameras.
Ann Moore explained that the application for cameras for the two locations was based on the allocation made by the town council in 2012. She added that the town council was told that if more cameras were to be added at further locations, the application process would have to be started all over again.

‘Fleeced’
The cost of the system was raised, with Cllr Brendan Mulroy asking whether the council was ‘fleeced’ for the system. Ann Moore answered that tenders had yet to go out for the purchase and installation of the cameras. She said that €45,000 has been set aside for CCTV, and that the initial phase will be more expensive, as the equipment, such as the recording apparatus, had to be installed, but that it would be cheaper in time to add more cameras.
Ms Moore also said that everyone involved in the process has been frustrated by how long it has taken, something that was bothering Cllr Hyland throughout the discussion.
He has long advocated for CCTV, and he cited numerous examples of where it has been effective in crime prevention and solving of late. “This has been all bureaucracy along the way,” he said. “I compliment the local superintendent and in particular Sergeant Gerry McNally for their work on this, but not those in Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park. It took this application nine months to get through three different sections there, and three years later we are getting two cameras. Well hallelujah, but it says something about bureaucracy in Ireland.”
He added that he had heard that two cameras would costing €45,000. “That’s nonsense, I want to put that to bed.”
Cllr Hyland was complemented for his drive and passion on the initiative by Cllr Martin Keane.