Downtown Guelph Surveillance Cameras Part of Community Safety Operations Centre Initiative
- Tuesday, February 27th, 2024 - 1:40 pm
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The Guelph Police Service will soon launch a new initiative aimed at improving service to the community while deterring criminal activity and increasing public safety.
Officers working in the new Community Safety Operations Centre (CSOC) will be responsible for implementing a new call management program.
This will see certain types of calls handled by telephone or directed to online reporting, freeing up front-line officers to respond to high-priority and in-progress calls more efficiently while reducing wait times.
Another component of the CSOC will see CCTV cameras deployed in the downtown area to support a reduction of crime and increase feelings of safety. The cameras will also improve the amount and quality of evidence available for ongoing investigations.
The Guelph Police Service will not actively monitor the cameras and video feeds will be used to react to serious incidents. For example, if our Communications centre is advised of a serious assault which has just occurred, officers working in the Community Safety Operations Centre can access live footage from cameras in the area to track suspects or monitor the area for safety.
The cameras will only capture public spaces and the video footage will be retained for 72 hours at which point it will be recorded over.
There may also be times that video feeds will be used to proactively monitor large events such as St. Patrick’s Day and Homecoming celebrations to ensure community safety.
A public consultation session to discuss the Community Safety Operations Centre and answer questions from the public will be held Wednesday, March 6, 6:30-8 p.m. at the police station, 15 Wyndham St. S.
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