I thank the Senator for raising this matter which is also of interest to me. The Closed Circuit Television, CCTV, monitoring system currently in operation in the Temple Bar area of Dublin was launched on 26 October 1995. It was the first scheme of its kind in this country to be operated by and under the control of the Garda Siochána and was introduced with the co-operation of local interests and operated on a pilot basis.
An evaluation of all aspects of the Temple Bar system and its effectiveness during its initial period of operation was carried out earlier this year. The report on the review of the system concluded that, in the appropriate locations and under correct conditions, urban CCTV systems as an aid to policing can deliver benefits. The Garda authorities report that the CCTV system has had a beneficial effect on crime prevention and detection in the Temple Bar area resulting in a significant reduction in the area's crime rate since its introduction. It has contributed to the detection of a number of offences including public order offences, road traffic offences and some crimes relating to robbery and drugs.
Work on a Garda system for the O'Connell Street area is now at an advanced stage and it is anticipated that it will be operational in the very near future. As a result of the additional funding made available by the Government in the anti-crime package for the expansion of Garda CCTV systems, the Minister for Justice recently decided to provide funding for CCTV systems in Finglas and Tralee.
While the Minister is fully committed to the concept of CCTV as an aid to policing and would like to see the scheme extended to other densely populated areas both in Dublin and around the country, this will have implications for Garda personnel and resources and must, of course, be viewed in the context of overall policing operations. These CCTV systems must be carefully planned and integrated into Garda operational procedures and before any such schemes can receive public funding they will be subject to specific technical and procedural standards set by the gardaí and will be subject to open tendering in accordance with the normal public procurement procedures.
The Minister is aware of the interest expressed by the Clondalkin Chamber of Commerce in a CCTV system for their area and she wishes to acknowledge the Senator's commitment to the project. However, a number of other applications have also been received from local authorities and commercial interests in Dublin and other parts of the country and these will be considered when priorities for future systems are being drawn up early next year. The Senator will understand that the Minister will be co-operative in considering such a scheme for Clondalkin.
