WEST CORK’S defunct CCTV system is a step closer to being switched back on as work progresses on a code of conduct.

Gardaí have launched a public consultation process to help finalise a draft code of conduct, which details the operation of so-called third-party CCTV feeds.

Third-party CCTV refers to CCTV systems where gardaí do not control the data.

The code will complement existing legislation under the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023.

Last July, Cork County Council and gardaí had a disagreement over who is responsible for overseeing the operating system and control of the data recorded on CCTV.

Community cameras have since been switched off, including nine in Clonakilty, 18 in Dunmanway and Gardaí are now asking the public to give feedback on the draft code as part of a consultation process, open until September 14th.

Cllr Brendan McCarthy (FG) welcomed the consultation, noting that since they were switched off last year: ‘There have been a couple of issues like illegal dumping of rubbish. It would be great to have CCTV available again in our towns, as well as third-party CCTV, to deter from illegal dumping, to detect crimes and to identify criminals.’

Diarmuid Cregan, co-chair of Clonakilty’s Tidy Towns committee, said the group would be happy to give feedback as part of the consultation, as long as it leads to the cameras being switched back on.

‘That’s what we ultimately want,’ he said. ‘We see the cameras a as a benefit to the town and are in favour of getting them turned back on.’

He said gardaí currently had to rely on CCTV cameras installed by businesses, which only cover a fraction of the town.

Deputy Gda Commissioner Paul Cleary said the code would support communities through the use of CCTV technology.

'The public’s views on how An Garda Síochána interacts with third-party live CCTV feeds systems will help us to continue to provide a community-focused policing service,’ he said.

Gardaí said there was increased demand to access third-party CCTV to tackle crime, such as vehicle and property crimes, drug-related crimes and public order offences.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about the use of third-party feeds with the potential for abuse of databases.

Antoin Ó Lachtnáin, spokesperson for Digital Rights Ireland, an organisation advocating for civil, human and legal rights in a digital age said the code of conduct will not necessarily solve the dispute between the Garda and the local authority.

‘The Garda will still want there to be someone responsible for these cameras,’ he said. ‘They will not want to take this on as a Garda responsibility. Garda access to private cameras only makes sense combined with large scale automated number plate recognition and facial recognition technology.’

He added this allowed individuals to be identified as if they had a number plate.

‘Otherwise the number of cameras and amount of video to review is simply too large,’ he said, adding that the technology combined with private cameras would give gardaí a map of where everyone was, when they were there and who they associated with.

‘Whilst useful for tracking crime, it’s hard to see how access to and abuse of this database can be adequately controlled.’

To add your views to the public consultation visit www.garda.ie/en/about-us/organisational-structure/garda-equipment/3rd-party-cctv/