Public to be consulted over Community CCTV cameras  across Limerick

A PUBLIC consultation process is underway as Limerick City and County Council seeks to secure authorisation to retain nearly 400 community CCTV cameras across the city and county.

The local authority was fined €110,000 by the Data Protection Commissioner last December over its ‘illegal’ use of CCTV cameras.

In addition, the DPC directed that the cameras must by switched off by April 12 if a legal basis for their use is not identified.

The local authority is working closely with senior garda management in the Limerick division and an application is to be made to the Garda Commissioner in the coming weeks in relation to 376 cameras.

The application relates to 288 cameras in the city and its environs along with 88 in a number of towns and villages (Abbeyfeale, Adare, Askeaton, Caherconlish, Croom, Foynes, Kilmallock, Murroe, Newcastle West, Pallasgreen, Patrickswell and Rathkeale).

Briefing members of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee, the council’s Head of Digital Services, Alan Dooley, said if approval, under the provisions of the Garda Siochana Act, is not forthcoming the cameras will have to be switched off.

He said significant work has been carried out since the Data Protection Commission published its findings and he is “highly confident’ the application to the Garda Commissioner will be successful – giving a legal basis for the retention of the cameras.

As part of the process to rectify matters, Limerick City and County Council and An Garda Siochana will enter a formal “Joint Data Controller Agreement’.

In addition to the public consultation process, a data protection assessment will be carried out in relation to each individual camera.

The ANPR (automatic number plate technology) function will not be used on any of the cameras and there will be no routine monitoring of live feeds.

Inspector Sandra Heelan, who has been working with the council, told the meeting that gardai are “fully supportive” of the application which will be submitted to the Garda Commissioner.

She said CCTV schemes, such as those in Limerick are very important in assisting gardai with their duties and with solving crimes which has seen gardai download around 70,000 hours of CCTV footage.

Mr Dooley, who confirmed the DPC fine has not yet been paid, said all of the CCTV cameras included in the application are already in place.

He added that new procedures as to who can access and download footage have been drawn up and that all civilians with access will be garda vetted.

The application was unanimously approved by members of the JPC.

It will come before the full council before being submitted to the Garda Commissioner for his consideration.

The public consultation process, which started on Thursday, will run until March 27.