By Derek Schlennstedt
Monbulk’s police and business community welcomed a new network of CCTV cameras around the town.
Casey MP Tony Smith officially launched the system on Friday 7 September.
The cameras cover Main Street, public areas, and motorists travelling in and out of the town.
Police and local traders joined Mr Smith for the launch, which is part of a planned expansion of CCTV cameras across Yarra Ranges.
Mr Smith pledged $75,000 to provide the state-of-the-art network for Monbulk in the lead-up to the last federal election.
“This is a dedicated community safety fund,“ he said.
“The first set was delivered in Lilydale and we at the last election pledged a network in five locations – Yarra Glen, Woori Yallock, here in Monbulk, Mount Evelyn and Mooroolbark.
“I’m very pleased that Woori Yallock and Yarra Glen are up and running and the $75,000 pledge has seen the cameras installed here in Monbulk where they are very much needed.“
Yarra Ranges Crime Prevention Officer, Leading Senior Constable Lisa Brooks, has been working with the Monbulk community as part of the Yarra Ranges Safety Camera Network to get the best system available.
She told the Mail the cameras were situated to see the comings and goings around the town, but had a few extra investigative capabilities.
“There are cameras with facial recognition or we can alter them for registration and colour,” she said.
“The software enables us to put parameters in for what we’re searching for.
“We can narrow the parameter down to a red car between these times or any movement between these times.”
With the view to link all CCTV camera footage to the 24-hour police station in Lilydale, Lead Sen Const Brooks said it would help police respond to incidents.
“The cameras are giving us on-the-spot instant recording and is recorded so we can come in and go over that recording,” she said.
“We’ll have the capacity to plan a response – instead of just the van going to an unknown situation, we’ll have eyes in the sky.
“It makes an unplanned response into a planned response which is really important in our line of work.”
Monbulk Sergeant Luke Schroder also welcomed the additional policing technology.
“For us it’s a great way of policing and keeping an eye on the community when we’re not available to be here,” he said.
“The cameras are here and they’ll be accessible 24 hours of the day.”
Sergeant Schroder said that police would liaise with local businesses about the CCTV network in coming weeks.
