Businesses in Wellington are being encouraged to install security cameras to reduce anti-social behaviour.
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Dubbo Regional Council is looking to expand its Neighbourhood Shopping Precinct CCTV Financial Assistance Program.
Under the program, a $500 rebate is offered to retailers in the CBD for the purchase and installation of a CCTV system. So far, three Dubbo businesses have taken up the offer.
Dubbo Regional mayor Ben Shields said there was a need for the program to be expanded to Wellington, as businesses in the CBD were dealing with the same issues of vandalism, crime and anti-social behaviour.
"When it comes to Wellington, we need to be more proactive when it comes to assisting local law enforcement in kerbing crime," he said.
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The mayor said he had always been a strong believer that there couldn't be enough CCTV in public areas because they both acted as a deterrent to crime and the footage was strong evidence if needed in court.
The cameras were another tool in the crime prevention tool belt, councillor Dayne Gumley said.
"Our communities deserve to be safe and certainly our businesses deserve to be able to operate in an efficient manner," he said.
"We want wellington to thrive, we know that it can thrive and if this gets us moving even a little bit in the right direction, we all support that."
Councillor Greg Mohr said it was well overdue. He said the community only had to look at social media to see how many people were caught thanks to security footage.
It was also a way to trace the steps of missing people, Cr Mohr said.
To be eligible for the program, the cameras have to have a minimum of 720p resolution with a 30-day retention of footage. The installation also has to be signed off from the building owners for any businesses leasing their premises.
Council will develop a report on the proposed program expansion before a final decision is made on the CCTV rebate being introduced in Wellington.