CCTV Boost in Northland: Business associations collaborate to put more eyes in the sky

A CCTV camera array on Kings Rd in Paihia captured in 2022. The cameras were funded through the Proceeds of Crime and within months proved useful for assisting an arrest. Photo / NZME

Businesses in the Mid and Far North have joined forces in the hopes of bringing more CCTV to the region to help curb crime.

The grassroots project was bolstered by the Te Tai Tokerau Impact Fund to bring a co-ordinated approach to CCTV and community safety.

Kerikeri Business Association chairperson Sarah Curtis said the groundbreaking collaboration started as a coffee between Lesley Lucas and Josh Kirby of the Bay of Islands and Kaitāia Business Associations.

The business associations now meet every three months to discuss a range of topics.

Curtis said they realised the challenges they faced were the same and that they could work together to both learn from each other and provide a stronger collective voice.

“One of the top issues that came up in these conversations was crime and how CCTV is a way to help prevent crime and support community safety.”

Curtis said feedback had shown that offenders often target more than one town, particularly because of the interconnected roads.

Therefore, she said, having a system that worked for all the towns made sense.

The project aims to deliver a comprehensive plan which maps existing infrastructure, identifies gaps and outlines a unified strategy for long-term safety.

Curtis said there are hopes it will improve economic resilience for Mid and Far North businesses.

Over the next three months a gap-analysis project will be undertaken.

The project will consider existing networks and monitoring, assess police ability to access and use information, assess police requirements and consider links to existing security, suppliers and more.

It would also scope the development of a centralised monitoring centre and ask the community for existing and proposed CCTV camera sites to join the network.

“We really hope that by the wider Far and Mid North business associations uniting together, it shows CCTV is something that is important for everyone in the region, not just the businesses,” Curtis said.

The completed analysis would then support their application for the Proceeds of Crime Fund in October.

The government fund was designed to help provide targeted interventions to reduce violent crime.

It distributes assets seized by police for crime-prevention projects countrywide.

Applicants must prove that the initiative aligns with the criteria for reducing violent crime to be eligible for funding.

Far and Mid-North business associations hope their analysis will prove the need for a sustainable approach to CCTV and community safety across the region. Photo / NZME

Northland has benefited from the Proceeds of Crime Fund with new cameras in the Whangārei CBD, Te Kamo and Hikurangi in 2023 estimated to cost $765,000.

At the time, it was hoped that more eyes in the sky would deter would-be criminals.

However, NorthChamber president Tim Robinson at the time said requests for footage from police after reported incidents sometimes went unanswered because of a lack of resources.

Meanwhile in Paihia, a state-of-the-art system was proven worthwhile in 2022, within months after a man accused of robbing a local was arrested thanks to high-quality CCTV footage and police searches.

That system was also covered by the Proceeds of Crime Fund for $120,000.

At the time, a Focus Paihia member called for more co-ordination between the region’s public CCTV systems.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.