Justice
April 28, 2011
CCTV Cameras on George Street Go Live
Public safety in the downtown area of St. John’s will be enhanced through the use of video surveillance cameras along George Street. The cameras will go live on Sunday, May 1.
“George Street is popular among residents and tourists year round so we have a responsibility to ensure this area is safe for everyone to enjoy,” said the Honourable Felix Collins, Minister of Justice. “The system of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras that we have installed on George Street will provide the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary with the capability of capturing high quality video footage that will enhance public safety. I want to assure everyone that the personal privacy interests of individuals will be protected. This new technology will be used for law enforcement purposes only to enhance the RNC’s investigative capabilities.”
The CCTV cameras will deter criminal activity, enhance emergency services response, collect valuable evidentiary information, and aide police investigations. Twelve cameras have been installed with a Provincial Government investment of $260,000. The RNC will continue the financial commitment for upkeep of the cameras at a cost of approximately $49,000 per year for the next three years.
“Over the past several years the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has seen an increase in the number of calls for service in the downtown area,” said Robert Johnston, RNC Chief of Police. “The RNC’s vision is to provide public safety through policing excellence; CCTV cameras will assist in achieving that goal.”
“The City of St. John’s was quite pleased to support this initiative in the interest of public safety and we are pleased that the Department of Justice has ensured that residents’ privacy is protected,” said City of St. John’s Deputy Mayor Shannie Duff. “George Street is a major tourist attraction and entertainment district for the City of St. John’s and we want it to be a user-friendly and family-friendly place where public safety is the top priority. These cameras will help us achieve our goal of a safe George Street.”
The cameras are located on power distribution poles on George Street and will feed video directly via secure fibre optic line to RNC Headquarters. Signs will also be erected to advise individuals that CCTV monitoring will be ongoing.
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Media contacts:
| Vanessa Colman-Sadd Director of Communications Department of Justice 709-729-6985, 682-6593 vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca |
Constable Suzanne FitzGerald Media Relations Officer, RNC 709-729-8658 rncmediarelations@rnc.gov.nl.ca |
| Jennifer Mills Communications Officer City of St. John’s 709-570-2037, 690-7586 jmills@stjohns.ca |
2011 04 28 3:10 p.m.