CCTV in the city of Wollongong - council wants your opinion

At Monday night's council meeting councillors were debating the draft CCTV code of practice and whether to place it on public exhibition.

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The business papers listed the 35 sites where the council's 470 cameras operate.

As well as the Crown St Mall and adjacent streets, the city's libraries and the youth centre, the council swimming pools are a CCTV location.

"When I read that it's at Berkeley pool, at the Blue Mile, at Beaton Park, Lakeside Leisure Centre, it kind of gives me the creeps," Cr Cox said.

"You're there in your swimmers and you want to be really sure that we have the governance around that policy that it can't be filming people without their consent and that only the right people see it."

A council officer told councillors that the locations where CCTV cameras were in use were generally accompanied by signage.

The officer added that council staff cannot access any CCTV footage under normal circumstances - they needed to seek approval from a director before they can view any of it.

Cr Cox felt CCTV could serve a purpose "but it is also open to exploitation and invasion of people's privacy and we need to have really good governance around this policy to ensure that doesn't happen".

As a result council officers will include more detail about the security surrounding the footage and the audit process undertaken for each camera.

The council business papers also noted that NSW Police regularly request to view council CCTV footage. Since January this year the police had made 158 requests to view council footage.

"The main objective of operating CCTV is to assist in improving perceptions of safety, deterring antisocial and criminal behaviour, protecting assets and assisting in prosecution of offenders," the council business papers stated.

Wollongong councillors voted in favour of placing the draft CCTV code of practice and CCTV register on public exhibition for at least 28 days.

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