No CCTV to fight crime in the CBD

A feasibility study of the merits of closed circuit television (CCTV) in the Parramatta city centre has found insufficient justification for a CCTV network which would incur substantial costs to install, operate, monitor and maintain. The draft 2008-2013 City Centre Crime Prevention Plan noted the areas with the greatest concentration of crime were Church Street, the bus/rail interchange and surrounding areas, Westfield and the Church Street Mall.

The draft, which also noted that "Parramatta is generally a very safe place to work, shop, visit and live" goes on public exhibition this month. Sydney City Council has spent $3.5 million revamping its closed circuit television (CCTV) network from video technology to digital comprises 82 surveillance cameras.