LAST UPDATE | 5 May

FINE GAEL IS tabling a Bill that would remove some barriers to installing more CCTV cameras around Dublin.

The Bill, which is to be introduced by James Geoghegan, will build on powers given to local authorities in recent years to install cameras where there are high rates of illegal dumping. 

The Dublin Bay South TD told Newstalk Breakfast that closed-circuit television systems (CCTV) could be helpful in areas with “a high prevalence of crime”.

Geoghegan said the local guardian of Sean Moore Park in Dublin 4, where a playground has been set on fire six times in three years, has been calling for CCTV to help deter vandals.

CCTV camera in Dublin Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Garda investigations could also benefit from increased surveillance, according to Geoghegan.

“What local gardaí tell me is that if they make an application up to the Commissioner, that essentially [is] going through a whole host of bureaucratic loops,” he said.

He added: “They’re not getting the investment from the top brass to install CCTV in the areas that are needed.”

Geoghegan said it would be reassuring for businesses to know they are protected by more than their own recording systems. 

Geoghegan said the installation of cameras in blindspots hasn’t “gotten rid” of illegal dumping, but it reduced the number of cases in what were previously considered problem areas.

“It’s about working with the high-visibility policing that we’re seeing in our city centre, in parts of our suburbs, and providing the guards with the necessary tools to act as a deterrent,” Geoghegan said.

Speaking to journalists later, the TD was asked whether the bill was an admission that Dublin is not safe under his party’s leadership.

“I think it’s an acknowledgement that there are still challenges with safety in Dublin,” he said.

“We’ve seen a lot more gardaí in the city centre, in the suburbs, and even recently with the recent graduates from Templemore, but it’s to support the work of the gardaí.”

He says a lot of garda work while investigating crimes involves “traipsing around private premises” and getting access to private CCTV. This Bill would slim down that level of work, he said.

Asked if there was a risk of a Big Brother-style surveillance state, Geoghegan said civil liberties would be protected by a new public code.

“What is made absolutely clear in the consultation on that code is that it will be fully compliant with data protection measures,” he said.

Geoghegan said there is roughly one CCTV camera for every 6,000 people living in Dublin. For comparison, London has one camera for every 10 to 13 residents.

“I don’t want to turn us into London,” he said, but highlighted the level of CCTV surveillance compared to Ireland.

Geoghegan said he is aware that additional CCTV won’t abolish crime in the city but will help the work of gardaí and act as an “additional tool” to aid the safety of local communities.