Vol. 511 No. 3
333 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he will sanction a closed circuit television system for Bray, County Wicklow; when the system will be in operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24449/99]
Bray is one of six locations that have been prioritised for the installation of Garda CCTV systems as an aid for policing by the CCTV advisory committee. The list of locations, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Bray, Cork, Dublin South Central, Dundalk, Finglas and Limerick.
The extension of the Garda CCTV system in Dublin to include Grafton Street and its surrounding streets, Dublin South Central, and the provision of a CCTV system in Cork city are the CCTV projects currently being undertaken.
A shortage of technicians in the telecommunications section of the Garda Síochána, who are responsible for the planning and implementation of town centre Garda CCTV systems, has impacted on the progress in implementing CCTV systems in each of the six prioritised locations, including Bray. I am having this problem addressed as a matter of urgency through the recruitment of 27 additional technicians. The recruitment process is now almost complete and 18 new technicians have been appointed. However, given training needs and so forth, it will be some months before the new technicians will be available to commence work on new projects in the telecommunications area, including CCTV.
It is not, therefore, possible at this time to give an indication of exactly when a Garda CCTV system will be installed in Bray as this is dependant on a number of factors including the availability of technical personnel, financial resources, the tendering requirements and, of course, the need for such systems to be integrated into Garda operational procedures. I can, however, confirm that it is intended to commence the planning and implementation of Garda CCTV systems in each of the prioritised locations, including Bray, as soon as possible.
