Dubbo City Council staff want to spend $57,087 on an upgrade of the safety camera system in the central business district (CBD).

The proposal would include the purchase of 13 additional cameras to make a total of 26 focusing on criminal behaviour, as outlined in a report to the finance and policy committee.

Council, in consultation with Orana Local Area Command, has already identified exact spots for the new cameras.

It agreed to a $48,000 upgrade of the system when it passed an earlier budget.

Social services manager John Watts has now proposed a more complete modernisation, which, if adopted, would use up its special fund for the purpose.

He argued council’s dinosaur camera system needed the pricey overhaul to ensure it could still be a “sophisticated technological tool for crime prevention”.

Dubbo’s safety camera network was commissioned in July 2002.

It is ageing and there had been escalating additional costs to cover the replacement of cameras, communication interruption and replacement of software, Mr Watts said.

The council had received a grant from the state government of $24,000, made on the basis council would match it to purchase seven more cameras.

After consultation with Dubbo police on the priority locations of additional safety cameras it was now proposed to provide 13 additional cameras, Mr Watts said.

Eleven of those would be fixed cameras and two would have full pan, tilt and zoom capability, at a total cost of $57,087.

Mr Watts’s report not only urged councillors to provide the funds for the overhaul but to also provide increased funding for maintenance in future budgets.

“Without substantial increased funding from 2012/2013 and onwards, the reality is that the system faces a wind back on the number of safety cameras and a reduction in operational reliability,” he said.

Councillors will consider the proposal at the committee meeting on Monday night.

Additional safety cameras would be placed at Erskine Street near the Serisier Bridge, the Macquarie-Talbragar corner, Macquarie Street near the Amaroo Hotel, Talbragar Street near Carrington Avenue, the Macquarie-Wingewarra corner and Brisbane Street near the Commercial Hotel.