Town Council Must Fund CCTV For Letterkenny
May 5th, 2004The town council must immediately take steps towards installing a comprehensive Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) Camera system in Letterkenny Town Centre, Fianna Fail Candidate for Letterkenny Town Council and Donegal County Council Damien Blake said today.
“The events of this weekend have shown, beyond any doubt, that Letterkenny Town Centre needs CCTV. And we need it now.”
“I propose that the Town Council fund the installation of CCTV cameras around the town, and that the Gardai supervise the system. This is what has happened in Naas in Co. Kildare, where they will see their CCTV system implement by the summer. The Town Council must immediately look to make funding available, even if they must borrow to make the system available without delay. The recently installed broadband communications network that has been laid around the town can be an important part of the CCTV network, and its presence would allow CCTV to be implemented much sooner than would have been the case.”
“This weekend’s tragic, and near tragic, events have made it clear that the Gardai need every bit of support that can be made available. CCTV is highly effective in preventing crime, as already shown around the country, and can be used as evidence in court proceedings. CCTV would allow the Gardai to monitor what is going on in parts of the town that patrols cannot always monitor.”
“The town council has an immediate responsibility to do everything in their power to make our streets safer. CCTV is a part of this, and can be implemented within weeks once funding is made available. As a young person who has grown up on the Port Road I know that the events of this weekend are not common, but violent attacks on our street are becoming more frequent. As we approach the busy summer months we must immediately take steps to make sure that such a weekend never happens again. CCTV, funded by the Town Council, is an integral part of the solution to this problem.”