Three cameras stolen from outside Castlecliff Library in Whanganui

Three cameras worth approximately $1000 have been stolen from the Castlecliff Library. Photo / Bevan Conley

James Barron wants to sit down and have a chat with whoever stole the cameras from the Castlecliff Library on Rangiora St last week.

Castlecliff NZ's Barron led the Castlecliff Library project with help from the Whanganui District Library and Project Castlecliff and it opened in May.

Last week three cameras were ripped from the outside of the building, leaving severed cables hanging from where they were mounted to the framing of the roof.

Barron paid for the cameras himself and said that they were collectively worth about $1000.

"We've got images," Barron said.

"It would be nice if they confessed. I haven't gone to police yet, I'd rather deal with it in a restorative way.

"My preference would be that they come back, sit down and we have a bit of a kōrero. We can discuss how we can make our community better."

The cameras operated on a system in which footage was saved to a hard drive as well as being stored offline.

The library provides a space for the Castlecliff community to do things like use subsidised internet, as well as borrowing books, recently lending out number 1000.

Barron said he was hurt when he discovered the cameras missing.

"It hurts me and it hurts the community. It takes away from the pool of money which should be going towards other things, not replacing cameras.

"Probably what will cost almost as much as replacing the cameras, is we're going to have to get cages or something for them to have them outside."

Barron has been forced to put plans for a new filtered water fountain on the back-burner as the funding he had set aside for it will now be spent on new cameras.

He wants the water fountain feature to be artistic. He has the piping for it to be done and hopes locals will be involved in building it.

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The library also has cameras inside it, but the outside CCTV footage provides security for the hair and beauty salon, SBB-Soul, Body, Beauty, which is also located in the building.

The foundation for a nearby bus shelter was set up on Wednesday and Barron said that was another reason for wanting cameras outside.

The Castlecliff Library is run by volunteers with more than 1000 books that can be checked out through self-service.

It is open from 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

If anyone has any information about the cameras, they can message the Castlecliff Library or the Castlecliff.NZ Facebook pages.