Queanbeyan City Council has decided not to install close circuit television (CCTV) after their research indicated that it was not an effective way of preventing crime.
Council has received a number of requests from community members to install CCTV in problem areas such as Madew Oval in Jerrabomberra, Monaro Street and the taxi ranks. Mayor Frank Pangallo said there was little evidence to suggest CCTV was effective at preventing crime.
"Although, there is some success in it being a tool to aid the police in getting evidence which leads to a conviction," he said.
However the ongoing costs of maintaining CCTV made it inviable for Queanbeyan.
"The issue is that for CCTV to work properly it needs to be monitored and this is very expensive to undertake," Cr Pangallo said.
Councillor Pangallo said installing such a system started at about $100,000, with ongoing maintenance costs and hidden installation costs including lighting upgrades, the removal of obstructions, signage, vandal resistance, auditing and evaluation of the system, training of staff and ongoing maintenance.
A spokesperson for the Queanbeyan City Council said ratepayers had to be mindful that they would bear the brunt of these costs.
"Council recently developed a comprehensive plan to address malicious damage and graffiti in the city," Cr Pangallo said.
"This plan is based on sound preventative measures and this does not include CCTV."
