Longreach Regional Council is committed to protecting its resources and to the safety and wellbeing of its staff, community and visitors to the region.
Council’s primary use of CCTV is to discourage and/or detect unlawful behaviour. When assessed as appropriate, council may install CCTV cameras:
- in and around council property
- in identified high risk public spaces across the region.
The evaluation of the appropriateness of CCTV and the establishment and management of CCTV cameras and their footage is guided by the principles and parameters set out in Councils policy.
The intention is to manage CCTV carefully to achieve the best outcomes for Longreach and its community. Council is committed to its departments working together, and to working closely with other relevant agencies, including the Queensland Police Service.
Council continues to be committed to undertaking its CCTV system activities in an efficient, transparent, effective and lawful way, ensuring systems are ‘fit for purpose’. Council acknowledges the investigative, prosecution and crime prevention benefits of CCTV on private or commercial properties, however, council will not contribute to asset protection of such premises.
This policy describes a process that aligns with Longreach Regional Council’s commitment to protecting its resources and safety and wellbeing of staff, community and visitors to the region.
Obtaining CCTV footage
Access to council's public spaces CCTV systems and cameras is strictly controlled through council's CCTV Policy and the Information Privacy Act 2009. System access is only available to:
- approved council officers
- approved contracted service providers
- Queensland Police Service.
CCTV recordings are stored digitally. Recordings not required for investigations or as evidence are recorded over or erased after 30 days.
Any person/s requesting access to camera footage can apply to council by completing either:
- Information Privacy (IP) Act Access Application or
- Request To Information (RTI) Application.
If you are a party in legal proceedings, you may have other avenues to obtain footage. For more information check the Department of Justice and Attorney General website.
Before making a request for public space CCTV footage, ensure you have:
- the location of the camera
- the date of required footage
- the time of required footage.
Law enforcement agencies can request footage by contacting Council on 07 4658 4111. Footage will only be released to an authorised law enforcement agency investigating an incident.
Locations of CCTV
Council is undertaking a mapping exercise to provide location details of where CCTV systems are located in public spaces. This information will soon be available.
Privacy
CCTV recordings are only accessed by authorised persons as outlined in the policy. The information collected may be provided to agencies like the Queensland Police Service for law enforcement purposes.
Your personal information will not be given to any other person or agency unless required by law. Any personal information is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009.
