Police will be using Tauranga City Council CCTV footage to track down dangerous drivers. Photo / File
Police will be using Tauranga City Council CCTV footage to track down dangerous drivers. Photo / File
Western Bay of Plenty police plan to use the city's security cameras to track down dangerous drivers and make the region's roads safer.
From this month, police will work with Tauranga City Council to use footage captured on the city's 370 cameras to help clean up the region's worst drivers.
Senior Sergeant Mark Pakes said many of the cameras were set up in ideal strategic locations such as major intersections and busy highways. The footage captured was often "remarkable".
"It's just horrific what these guys do but they seem to get away with it," Pakes said.
Use of CCTV footage has been employed before by police, but Pakes said a recent incident involving a man captured driving through a closed railway crossing, and narrowly avoiding being hit by an oncoming train, sparked the renewed approach.
After police tracked the driver down, he initially denied his actions, Pakes said.
"We could say 'well, actually we have a photo of you, do you realise the risk of what would happen if that train hit you?' You hope that would help him. It doesn't mean we have to send him an infringement notice."
Pakes said using CCTV footage would help make Tauranga roads safer by ensuring drivers were more mindful of their behaviour - and aware that potential bad decisions could now come back to bite them.
Western Bay of Plenty road policing Senior Sergeant Mark Pakes. Photo / File
Pakes said the aim was education - not fines. However, he would not rule out infringement notices.
"We are trying to change driver behaviour so everyone gets home safely. We all want the same outcome."
New Zealand Privacy Commissioner guidelines stipulate any organisation intending to use CCTV should have a policy on how the images are collected and used. However, the council's policy was still in draft format and was not yet available until it was signed off.
Tauranga lawyer Michael Sharp said the police and council would need to ensure Privacy Act guidelines such as consulting with the community and having reasonable grounds to use footage were adhered to.
"There are limitations. You can't just film anything. We don't live in a police state where everything is being filmed and used. The Privacy Act policies allow filming for law enforcement, not educational purposes."
Sharp said police would need to demonstrate issues with compliance or criminal behaviour before using footage for their purposes.
Western Bay of Plenty police acting area commander Inspector Zane Smith said police received many complaints as a result of dangerous or risky driver behaviour and they were well aware of the Privacy Act and its use of CCTV footage adhered to its guidelines.
Council transportation manager Martin Parkes said the cameras were monitored 24/7 by council staff trained to ensure they were adhering to privacy requirements.
"We are a responsible authority who has a legal obligation under the Privacy Act to ensure we are using our CCTV cameras in a trustworthy manner."
Parkes said although the council's CCTV policy was in draft format, it had been approved by its legal team.
AA's Bay of Plenty district council chairman Terry Molloy, who is a Tauranga councillor, said, "It makes a lot of sense" and police use of CCTV footage has helped clean up late-night criminal behaviour on The Strand in recent years.
"On the road, it's the same. It's not about people going about their normal business. It's the extreme behaviours that are dangerous."
A spokesman for the Privacy Commissioner said generally public safety and protection of public property were part of the police and council's roles "and they can collect information via CCTV for those purposes" but this should be necessary and proportionate to those purposes.
Privacy Act guidelines for CCTV use include: • Develop a business plan for the CCTV system, setting out: The purpose of the system, the expected outcome, and how privacy impacts will be minimised • Where appropriate, consult with the community • Erect signs both near the CCTV cameras and at the perimeter of the CCTV system's range to notify people that cameras are operating • Make sure there is a full privacy notice on your website or in hard copy at your reception desk Source - Privacy Commissioner
