As part of its effort to reduce crime incidence in the neighbourhood, Forest Lake will be the first Brisbane suburb to implement the Community Camera Alliance program of Queensland Police Service (QPS).
Community Camera Alliance is an initiative by the QPS to allow Forest Lake residents to take part in safeguarding the community.
Under the program, the police will have access to a greater number of closed circuit television (CCTV) systems to help them solve crimes and ultimately prevent criminal activities in the suburb.
How It Works
The Community Camera Alliance allows the police to get more eyes on the scene with the help of registered CCTVs.
Any resident or business who owns a CCTV can join the program by registering their CCTV system with QPS. Police with then get access to footages from these CCTVs in case they will need them for their investigative work.
Investigators have used CCTVs from private individuals and businesses in the past. However, it is time-consuming and resource intensive to locate security cameras. With private CCTVs registered, the police can easily find the necessary cameras they will need for crucial investigations.
If the police see that a registered security camera can be helpful in an investigation, they will contact the owner to ask for help. CCTV footages may also be used for court procedures.
Participants in the program can rest assured that the information they have provided during registration will be kept secure.
In case the CCTV owner decides to be de-register, they can do by notifying QPS.
Registration
To jumpstart the program, QPS is working with the Salvation Army and the Forest Lake Community Safety Working Group for Village Connect. Village Connect will be a gathering of Forest Lake residents to discuss the voluntary CCTV registration program. Officers from the Centenary patrol will be on hand to explain the program.
Village Connect will be held on Saturday, 15 July 2017, starting 2:00 p.m., at the Claremont Parade Park, Forest Park. Initial registration of private CCTV systems for Community Camera Alliance will be held on that day.
The Community Camera Alliance program is already in place in Mackay. Find out more about the Mackay program here.