Who will pay for Roscrea Garda camera system?

GARDA CCTV systems to assist in policing rural towns across North Tipperary are awaiting approval from the Garda Commissioner, while some questions still surround how the camera systems will be funded in some areas.

The October meeting of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee (JPC) on Friday last heard the Borrisokane, Fethard, and Littleton CCTV schemes have received approval following a meeting in Dublin earlier this month and now await official approval from Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, before they can proceed to the installation stage.

However, how the Roscrea system's installation and maintenance will be paid for has yet to be confirmed, despite steady progress over the year on choosing the most suitable type of data storage equipment and camera locations for Roscrea's needs. 

This comes against the backdrop of major progress on Clonmel's camera system, which will now incorporate 86 cameras dotted around the county's capital town, made up of 52 new cameras and the town centre's 34 existing cameras. 

The Clonmel system will be partially funded by the Municipal Council for the area - which it is hoped can be replicated in Roscrea and see the camera system's ongoing maintenance be part funded by the Thurles/Roscrea/Templemore Municipal District. 

Councillor Noel Coonan raised the question at the monthly meeting of the Municipal Council on Monday and said he hopes a "policy block" won't prevent the Roscrea system from proceeding. 

Cllr. Coonan is also Cathaoirleach of the Tipperary JPC and said that people in Roscrea are eager to see some progress on the issue after regaining momentum from several setbacks stemming from changes in data protection laws and planning issues over camera locations. 

Cllr. Coonan said the committee in Roscrea has been told "there is no money to fund it from this District", while Nenagh and Clonmel will benefit from District funding for their systems. "Under the new setup Roscrea will not be allowed to proceed with the cameras until secure funding is in place", he pointed out.

He told the meeting in Roscrea the plan is to proceed with an iCloud based system, which is less costly to install than alternative recording systems, but more costly to maintain. These costs could be in the region of €20k to €25k per annum, he said, adding that he wants a commitment from the Municipal Council to assist with the ongoing maintenance costs.

District Manager, Eamonn Lonergan, was reluctant to commit to funding and said the Municipal Council will "look at our own budget for next year and whether it's through our development levies or government funding".

He said the issue will be examined at the local authority workshop in November and pointed out that installation costs for the Roscrea system are also significant and that exact costs need to be established before a decision can be made.

"It's expensive and we don't want it to impact on our project delivery and we will have to make a decision on which projects we are going to go ahead with next year", Mr. Lonergan said.   

Meanwhile, news that Borrisokane's CCTV system has advanced to the next stages was warmly welcomed by Cllr. Ger Darcy at the JPC meeting. Cllr. Darcy had previously raised the mounting frustration among the community and the hard working committee in the town and their frustration at the lack of progress over the year.

Cllr. Darcy thanked Cathaoirleach Noel Coonan and Pat Slattery and Eddie Golden from Tipperary County Council and said that Peter Donovan and the Borrisokane committee are "delighted with the progress".

"I know we're not there yet - but it will be a massive asset to the community and the local Gardaí when it's finally up and running", Cllr. Darcy said.