TWO cameras have been installed at the intersection of Queen and Edmonds Streets in Marburg.
The Ipswich City Council placed the temporary safety cameras following a request from the Marburg Police.
Deputy Mayor Russell Milligan said that the police reached out to see if council could help with camera coverage following some recent anti-social behaviour.
“We have a strong relationship with the Marburg Police and council’s Safe City and Asset Protection team were able to provide assistance,” he said.
“After discussions, council has arranged for the temporary installation of two solar-powered cameras that provide coverage of the intersection and a short distance along both streets.
“One camera provides fixed coverage of the intersection, with the other able to capture images through 360 degrees, and the cameras record 24 hours a day.
“The cameras are not part of council’s formal Safe City network of more than 300 public-safety cameras, which are monitored from a central location around the clock.
“Safe City staff can, however, access the cameras and their recordings, and provide footage to support any police investigation, and the cameras will be in place for about six months.”
On average Safe City operators contact police 5,000 times a year, and over the past five years, Safe City has assisted police on 7,000 occasions and reviewed videos for the Queensland Police Service over 2,500 times, resulting in 1,300 pieces of video being released for investigation and prosecution purposes.
Division 4 Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said the cameras were already proving effective since being installed with police requesting footage of one incident since their installation.
“Safe City supervised the installation of the cameras, to make sure they complied with Queensland privacy laws,” she said.
“The cameras are not only about capturing incidents, their presence in other areas has also been a deterrent to incidents taking place in the first place.”
Marburg Police OIC Sgt Anthony Garland said the installation was a good example of council and the Queensland Police Service working together to support community safety.
“Marburg is generally a pretty quiet town, with police very much part of the community,” he said.
“We are pleased that council has been able to arrange for this installation on a temporary basis and if needed, we would approach council to provide footage to either support investigations or prosecutions.”
