Return of anti-dumping CCTV cameras to Laois to catch offenders

Anti-dumping CCTV cameras are coming back to Laois, after a five year holdup, but it takes a lot of red tape to get each one up and running.

Laois County Council is starting off with four of the county's dumping blackspots and they are asking the public's opinion ahead of pressing the record button to catch environmental crimes in action.

This week the council is seeking public opinions to install both hidden (covert) and overt cameras, at bring bank centres at Killenard and Graiguecullen, and in the general areas of Clonkeen / Trumra and Vicarstown.

They say that they are installing and operating CCTV cameras for the "sole primary purpose of preventing litter and illegal dumping and enforcement of the litter pollution act 1997 and the waste management act 1996".

The council says that the initiative will adhere to the codes of practice for the operation of CCTV for the sole purposes of prevention and prosecution of litter and waste offences.

Bring banks in Killenard are at risk of being removed due to ongoing dumping, with even mattresses being dumped.  "This not only disrupts the intended purpose of these bins but also creates unnecessary clean up," Killenard Community Centre recently warned.

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Laois County Council had CCTV cameras in the past but a legal ruling forced all such cameras to be removed pending new GDPR guidelines. Those guidelines are now in place for local authorities, but each site must have a GDPR risk assessment and be approved by the Data Protection Commissioner

The public is invited to send in their views on the four proposed areas, marked 'Submission - CCTV proposal' to Laois County Council. They can post it to the Environment Department of Laois County Council or email it to environmentadmin@laoiscoco.ie no later than Monday, June 30.