Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday I was pleased to attend the launch of the City of Belmont’s CCTV Alarm Assist project in my electorate of Swan. I have followed the progress of this project closely over the last couple of years and was pleased to be at the launch. The basis of Alarm Assist was actually a coalition promise before the last election. Of course, Labor did a ‘me too’ on the issue. However, I am pleased they did it because it is a worthwhile initiative. Crime is a problem in the Belmont area and I receive a particularly high number of calls from Rivervale residents who are concerned about this issue.

I have always encouraged innovative solutions to the crime issue, and I believe the Alarm Assist program falls into this category. The scheme will embrace CCTV technology across the city of Belmont. The hope is that a better CCTV network will make it easier for police to catch criminals, serve as a visible deterrent and make the people of Belmont feel safer. According to a police website:

Still images and video footage are considered to be one of the best ways to prove who did what and when. Images of this nature can cut down investigation time and may also guide us to very swift outcomes. Some images and video may be presented as evidence in a court.

There are two specific components to the City of Belmont Alarm Assist program. The first is the installation, monitoring and response to business and residential alarms in the city. The second is the installation of CCTV systems in the city of Belmont that interconnect to a private alarm system and other triggers. As part of the program, the council are rolling out 400 low-cost RAC intruder alarm systems for residents and businesses to install. The systems that will be fully installed by the RAC include a fire smoke detector, a duress button and movement door sensors. I understand that in the event of an alarm activation the City of Belmont’s Neighbourhood Watch security will attend the premises.

I am also pleased to say that the program will be coordinated with the Blue Iris program, an initiative of the WA Police. Under the Blue Iris scheme, businesses and residents are encouraged to register their CCTV systems with the police. When the police are investigating a crime in a particular area, they will use this database of CCTV cameras to track and, hopefully, catch the offenders. Congratulations to the City of Belmont and, in particular, crime prevention officer Shaun Nancarrow, who has driven this from the start.

Whilst I am enthusiastic about the prospects of this project, we must keep up the fight against crime on all fronts. There are a number of local schemes in WA that I am keen to promote in the community. The first is the seniors security rebate being run by the Liberal-National government in WA. Under the scheme, WA seniors card holders can claim up to $200 for buying or installing home intruder alarms, security screen doors, security window screens, security sensor lights and door deadlocks. Local governments also have some good crime prevention programs. I would like to make particular mention of the City of Belmont and the town of Victoria Park. Programs like Alarm Assist complement these policies. I will be following the progress of this scheme with interest. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the mayor, Glenys Godfrey, and the Minister for Home Affairs, who were also at the launch. (Time expired)