news The Queensland Government has unveiled plans to deploy new technology that will allow Brisbane police officers to view live CCTV footage from cameras in public areas on their iPads or smartphones while working their beat, in a move being billed as helping to keep those of the city’s residents ‘who are doing the right thing’ safe.
Police Minister Jack Dempsey announced the planned move in a media release issued this morning, stating that it was part of a $970,000 digital upgrade and expansion of Brisbane City Council’s City Safe CCTV network, to crack down on violence and keep the streets safe.
Dempsey said the new system would also provide valuable evidence for police as the live vision could be recorded at City Safe and used in future court proceedings.
“If trouble-makers think they’re safe because there are no police in sight, they should remember officers could be watching them on their iPad a block away,” Dempsey said. “These upgrades have expanded our reach and everyone needs to remember we’ll be watching. That’s a comfort to the people who do the right thing and a warning to those who don’t.”
Dempsey said the new technology was another example of the Newman Government’s commitment to revitalise frontline services. “We want Queensland to be the safest place to live and raise a family and after years of Labor neglect we have boosted police numbers and resources to help crack down on crime,” the Minister said.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said Council’s network of 73 City Safe cameras enabled early detection and intervention of incidents in the City and Fortitude Valley.
“Council’s nine new camera locations across the City and the Valley will be a great advantage not only for visitors to our shopping and entertainment precincts, but also for local businesses,” Quirk said. “Last financial year City Safe helped police prevent serious assaults on nearly 1,150 occasions and helped identify a further 12,380 incidents. These new cameras will assist in identifying incidents as they occur in more locations across the City.”
“As part of these upgrades City Safe has also entered the digital era with Council migrating its entire City Safe network onto a digital platform to allow for quick and easy access to video footage. As of this week Police are able to access CitySafe cameras via secure Police iPads.”
The City Safe upgrade was delivered by Council with the assistance of a 2013-2014 Local Government grant of $350,000 from the Queensland Government and a $73,000 Australian Government grant in addition to Council’s contribution of $550,000. The Brisbane City Council installed a total of nine extra cameras as part of the expansion, which are all now operational as part of the City Safe network.
The news comes as police forces in other states have also started to further implement CCTV technology. Last week, for example, South Australia’s police force outlined plans to link facial recognition software with the state’s CCTV cameras, in order to automatically recognise persons of interest who passed within the views of cameras.
However, internationally, concerns have begun to be raised about such activities, with many residents believing they have the potential to significantly invade privacy. The City of Oakland, California, for example, recently wound back plans for a mass surveillance system on the city’s streets, following outcry from residents.
opinion/analysis
Great. Now our privacy is even more dead. If you’re partying in the Brisbane CBD, your nefarious activities are likely being watched — live — by a cadre of iPad-toting police. Did anyone actually stop to ask the residents of sunny Brisbane whether they actually wanted this kind of technology to be deployed on their streets, and whether police should be given such ready access to it? I highly doubt it — just as I suspect most won’t even know it exists until something goes wrong.
Image credit: Wardofsky, royalty free
But Renai, we have to be protected from the terrorists that are going to be here for the G20 later this year.
It’s not enough to literally shutdown half the CBD we need to be monitored in the lead up to this great investment of our tax dollars.
Heil Overlord Newman
yes….. not welcome to queensland – Australia new police state.
City Safe has been around for quite a number of years where civvie operators would monitor them, more so for safety and graffiti purposes but they’d call the cops if they saw something dangerous/violent. These cameras aren’t new.
Precisely. This horse bolted years ago. I remember being shocked when I realised every taxi had several camera’s in them, mounted inside and out, watching my every move. Now I am beyond jaded.
People in back rooms have been watching these cameras for years now. How on earth does a few more make a difference?
But if you want to stir the pot, here is a suggestion. The public have been watched by these guys for years. As the good officer said, it’s a public place, and if you are not doing the wrong thing there is nothing to worry about, right? So lets make all these camera’s available to the public, so we can see what our watchers are seeing.
It’s a public place after all, and if these police are doing their jobs properly they should have no concerns about the public watching them do it, right?
Divide 12,380 “incidents” per year by 73 cameras and you get an “incident” every second day.
What’s the definition of an “incident”? If it happens once every two days in a rather tiny area of Queensland – whatever that CCTV camera covers – it must be, accounting for weekends, not too far off being as frequent as the delivery of mail.
A little off topic, but in NSW there are rules around pubs and clubs where they get very strict rules put on them if they have too many “incidents” within a set timeframe. I think its 13 “incidents” within 12 months. In general, whenever the police get involved, its an incident.
In practice, it goes a little beyond that, and can mean where third party security get involved, its an incident. I’ve seen locally, where a club was put on restrictions due to too many incidents (13 in 12 months), and 12 of those incidents were arguments at the cab rank outside. Only because the rank was on their premises, with a third party security firm manning it.
The definition will be VERY broad. Just in case.
I honestly don’t see the point of this
Its a cheap gimmick that wear off eventually. Whens an officer going to be using this “mobile website” to view people in Queen street mall
meanwhile someone wasted 10-50k to design a basic website
Are officers going to be carrying iPads whilst on the beat? It’s a pretty fragile piece of equipment to have on hand if there is a scuffle or a chase.
*Er, before we have a bit of biffo, can you just wait a second while I stow this big glass thing in it’s safety case”
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