CCTV due in months

CCTV cameras in Athlone town are still months away from being switched on according to local gardaí. All external works have been completed, the poles are in place on the streets and the equipment for the station was delivered last Thursday. However, Superintendent Aidan Glacken could not confirm a date for operation at the first Athlone Town Joint Policing Committee meeting last Friday. 'From a technical side there are a number of small issues to iron out. It will probably be a couple of months, not weeks,' he told town councillors after they pressed for clarification. There will be 26 camera sites around the town and not 17 as originally planned when the project was announced ten years ago. Gardaí are hoping that the presence of the cameras will mostly act as a deterrent to crime. Senator Nicky McFadden asked Supt Glacken whether CCTV would have helped to solve the Bonavalley attacks if it had been in operation then. 'I don"t believe it would have helped to correctly identify the assailant. CCTV in certain areas is only as useful as other items used to gather information,' answered Supt Glacken. 'But CCTV has shown success in preventing crime and detecting it?' asked Cllr Mark Cooney. 'It certainly won"t take away from our ability to detect. It"s another tool in the box. The visual presence is far, far more beneficial,' replied Supt Glacken. Senator McFadden also asked if there was enough room in the current station to accommodate the equipment and sufficient stff to monitor the footage. Supt Glacken said that staff would not need to monitor the cameras full-time, as footage would be continuously recorded and so if an incident occurs, the relevant footage could then be viewed. He said the screens would be housed close to the on-duty guard in the station, so they can be checked with ease and is always accessible. He said that there will be sufficient room at the station for the monitoring equipment 'shortly'. Micheal McEniff from the local RAPID group wanted to know was Monksland included in the CCTV coverage. He was told that this CCTV project concerned urban areas only, but that local community groups can apply for grants for CCTV from groups such as Pobail. Cllr Egbert Moran agreed that CCTV in neighbourhoods can act as a great deterrent of anti-social behaviour.