Vol. 513 No. 3
283 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will report on the delay in the provision of closed circuit television cameras in the Finglas area in view of the fact that it is almost three years since these were first announced; if he will give a firm commitment in relation to their installation and the timescale involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2436/00]
Finglas is one of six locations that have been prioritised for the installation of Garda CCTV systems as an aid to policing by the CCTV advisory committee.
I am aware that delays have been encountered in progressing various CCTV projects while the demand from various communities for CCTV systems has been very significant – with applications being received from almost 40 communities throughout the country. The Deputy is aware that a shortage of technicians in the telecommunications section of the Garda Síochána has impacted on the progress in implementing CCTV systems – particularly in each of the prioritised locations. Notwithstanding the shortage of technicians, it also became evident that the existing approach to CCTV could not cope with the demand and a review of all aspects of CCTV was required. I, therefore, decided to initiate a review of CCTV and asked the Garda Commissioner to look at this whole area and to also quantify in precise terms the benefits of CCTV in city centre areas. The review is expected to be completed soon and its findings will then be submitted for consideration.
The extension of the Garda CCTV system in Dublin to include Grafton Street and its surrounding streets and the installation of a CCTV system in Cork city are the CCTV projects currently being undertaken. The order in which the remaining priority locations – including Finglas – will be undertaken has not yet been decided. I can confirm that while it is intended to commence the planning and implementation of Garda CCTV systems in each of the prioritised locations as soon as possible, it is not possible at this stage to give a definitive timescale in this regard.
