Closed-circuit television cameras are to be installed in prime locations around Cork in an effort to reduce street violence and criminal damage in the city.
Twenty-nine cameras are to be installed to cover the main pedestrianised areas surrounding the city centre. Camera locations include Patrick's Street and Merchants' Quay as well as areas on the outskirts of the city centre, including Barracks Street and Shandon Street.
Cork Crime Prevention Officer Garda Sgt Michael O'Donoghue said he hoped the cameras would act as a deterrent to gangs who congregate in the city centre at night. "We think that the cameras will prevent an awful lot of stuff from happening rather than just detecting crime. The cameras will allow us to monitor the activities of individuals who are known to gardai, which should be enormously helpful," Sgt O'Donoghue said.
It is hoped that the installation of cameras will also reduce the levels of shoplifting, drug dealing and assaults in the city.
Local traders have contributed more than £70,000 to the project. Cork Corporation also contributed £70,000 to the proposed development, which is being carried out by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The project will cost about £750,000.
Garda Supt Kieran McGann said any potential concerns about "big brother watching" would be compensated by a feeling of increased security among the general public.
Supt McGann said: "Videotapes can be trawled for clues and used in court evidence . . . If people are caught on camera they will be more likely to plead guilty."
The CCTV cameras will also be used to monitor traffic, in addition to the 18 cameras currently in use by gardai to monitor traffic flow in and around the Jack Lynch tunnel.
The CCTV system will be linked to Garda headquarters in Cork and will be under the control of the gardai. The cameras are expected to be in operation by late summer/early autumn.
Cork Corporation is allowing the project to use any free ducts in the city which have spare capacity and are in suitable locations. The Dublin-based contractors SKS Systems are currently awaiting a licence from Cork Corporation to begin laying the 5,000 metres of fibre-optic cabling that will form the backbone of the system.
The site plan and drawings are available for inspection at Garda headquarters in Cork and in the planning department of Cork Corporation. Submissions or observations on the proposed development can be made in writing to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The Government announced plans for a major expansion of CCTV in Ireland last November. The plan is to spend £12 million on CCTV over the next three years.
The 10 priority areas for the installation of cameras are: Athlone, Bray, Clondalkin, Dundalk, Dun Laoghaire, Finglas, Galway, Limerick, Tallaght and Waterford.