As property crime rates in Alice Springs skyrocket Mayor Matt Paterson is hoping local and live monitoring of CCTV cameras operated by both the Alice Springs Town Council and NT police will help curb crime in the outback town's central business district.
Before February 1, police CCTV were monitored in Darwin, 1,500 kilometres north of Alice Springs and the ASTC camera footage was only accessed after a crime had been committed on request by police.
The latest crime statistics, from January 2021 to January this year, show commercial break-ins in Alice Springs have risen by 82 per cent, and residential break-ins are up 41 per cent.
Mr Paterson said monitoring commenced on February 1 and a Northern Territory government-funded control room would be established in April, where police would monitor both council and police cameras.
There are 289 council-owned cameras, 40 fixed police cameras and six mobile units.
"It will be able to show us whether there are enough services on the street, how many kids are actually out on the street," Mr Paterson said.
Mr Paterson was optimistic about change after speaking with Teresa Harding, Mayor of Ipswich, in south-east Queensland.
Ipswich introduced the Safe City Program, which included the use of surveillance cameras in popular spaces, in 1994 to reduce crime rates.
"We did bring it in to address unacceptable levels of behaviour and crime that we had, particularly in our CBD," Cr Harding said.
"The very first year that it came in, we saw a 47 per cent reduction in crime in our CBD.
"Last year alone as a direct result of that program, a variety of offences were observed on more than 900 occasions, and it's actually led to more than 350 arrests," she said.
Cr Harding said that the crime had not been pushed into suburban areas because people know that they would be caught.
"So that's a deterrent, " she said.
Private security cameras
Kate Podger is the manager of Talapi Gallery in the heart of Alice Springs' Todd Mall.
After several break-ins, the owner of the premises upgraded the security to include internal and external security cameras.
Ms Podger said having live and local CCTV monitoring may make a difference.
"But unless the people [monitoring the footage] can actually put it through to the police and the police respond to active crimes occurring, I'm not sure whether it's going to be helpful or not," she said.
Ms Podger said she was committed to supporting Aboriginal artists, but also helping people who wanted to turn their lives around.
She said there had been a conviction for one of the break-ins at the art gallery, where a young boy was involved.
"We went through a restorative justice program, where we invited him back to come and actually clean up the mess that was here.
"We're really committed to trying to make that work, so that people don't end up back in the criminal justice system," she said.
Closing down
Livinia Fischer-Dvorsky ran a small music school in the heart of Alice Springs. She was uninsured and had 45 students.
After a recent break-in that caused $4,500 worth of damage, Ms Fischer-Dvorsky decided to close the doors.
"He said that they'd been through everything and they'd smashed a guitar," she said.
Microphones, iPads and another instruments were also missing.
"[My partner] found one of the guitars on the United Chemists roof.
Ms Livinia Fischer-Dvorsky said it was an emotional day, as they were trying to ascertain what had been stolen.
"We made the decision on the day that it's just not viable to keep the business open anymore," she said.
She was also unconvinced that live and local monitoring of CCTV would change the situation and will further burden a police force that is already at breaking point.
"I actually personally don't think it will make a big difference.
"I think it would just make the police busier, they might be able to respond a bit quicker.
Big brother, big bill
Rick Sarre, Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at the University of South Australia, said the cost of live monitoring of CCTV was horrendous.
Professor Sarre said other crime prevention programs would suffer if funding is spent on live monitoring.
"Sports programs, the police liaison programs, the alcohol free management programs, education programs, the school programs.
Professor Sarre said that live monitoring of CCTV did not stop crime.
"The literature generally speaking says CCTV is not preventative.
"It's much cheaper, of course, just to have it taped. Then you come back in the morning and say, well, something happened about midnight last night, let's check for that."
