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It’s been years in the making, but Waikato District Council (WDC) has switched on its CCTV network, providing police with a new weapon for fighting crime.
Initiated in 2022, the District-wide CCTV Safer Communities Project required ‘an extensive consultation process [with] elected members, community representatives, iwi and police,’ a council statement confirms.
The network is an important tool, WDC’s senior infrastructure project manager, Asanka Meththa explains.
“The presence of cameras can help deter offending and increase people’s sense of safety in public spaces. When requested by police, authorised operators can provide access to live camera feeds or recorded footage to assist with investigations,” he says.
“As the first CCTV system of this scale to operate as a fully integrated district-wide network, it represents a significant investment. The system has been designed to support current needs while providing the flexibility to adapt to future technology and changing needs.”
Covering the district’s towns (including Tuakau, Pokeno and Meremere), the network’s 15 cameras have been positioned to maximise coverage of higher-risk areas. In addition, as number plate recognition technology is also in place, vehicles can be identified and tracked.
The system includes search and data analytics tools, making it quicker and easier to locate footage when incidents occur, backup power and data storage.
Because maintaining privacy for innocent locals is a priority too, the network is managed through a centralised server with access restricted to authorised staff.
“Privacy has been a key consideration. The network has been implemented in line with New Zealand privacy requirements, with safeguards in place,” Meththa adds. “An independent privacy impact assessment will be completed once remaining minor system programming and configuration work has been finalised.”
The majority of project funding was secured through the Better Off Funding programme, a central government financial support package designed to help local authorities invest in better community wellbeing and infrastructure.
