Security cameras - and privacy !

Some people consider this city's network of cctv security cameras as an invasion of privacy - and they will be horrified at council's plans to extend the coverage to the " Blue Mile ".

This camera surveillance of the Mall and the CBD may not actually stop crime and drunken brawls, but they certainly do improve the chances of the culprits appearing before a court and receiving appropriate punishment.  There is no better evidence to convince a magistrate than a pictorial record of what actually happened, and facial recognition technology sorts out the innocent from the guilty.

We can not expect to see a police officer on every street corner, but by using the cctv network the police control room is warned of dangerous gatherings of people emerging from pubs and nighclubs,  and usually boisterous activity precedes drunken attacks on innocent bystanders.    In many cases, the mere appearance of a cruising police patrol car is sufficient to nip trouble in the bud.

The " Blue Mile " is predicted to become one of our major tourist attractions.  It is essential that it gain a reputation as a safe place to visit and that can only be enhanced by adequate night lighting and the obvious presence of security cameras.    That seems to settle the question of whether we have a conflict between safety and privacy in a public place.

There is another matter which is a constant irritation to both citizens and commercial premises in the CBD.   We have a mix of pubs and nightclubs, all of which tend to operate with extended trading hours.  Control measures have been introduced that see " lock outs " come into force which prevents patrons wandering from one watering hole to another.  After a certain hour, once you leave - you have no other option than to go home, and it seems a very reasonable policy.

What is not reasonable is the complete lack of toilet facilities in the CBD.   The shopping centre in shut -and with it the toilets usually available to the public, and once that lock out comes into effect, re-entry to use a pub or club toilet is out of the question.   As a result, the security camera system detects patrons in desperate need of a toilet urinating in shop doorways or in other parts of the Mall.

There are public toilets in parks and reserves a long way from the Mall, but these too are locked at night.

We are about to spend $ 14 million on a Mall revamp.  One of the essentials needed - and currently missing in action - is a public toilet that is open 24/7 to meet the needs of those patrons of the entertainment circuit within this city.   At the moment - the desperate have no other option than to break the law - and with cctv watching - suffer the consequences.

That old maxim that says   " When you gotto go - you gotta go "  certainly applies !