Jetty cameras installed and working

Thirteen CCTV cameras have been installed on Busselton Jetty and are fully operational.

There are three cameras inside the interpretive centre, three outside the centre, three more on the underwater observatory and an extra four along the jetty.

This $100,000 project was funded by the Office of Crime Prevention, the City of Busselton and the Busselton Jetty Environment and Conservation Association.

BJECA chief executive Darryl Green said it was important to retain the jetty as a safe and secure environment.

“This project is part of the City of Busselton’s and BJECA’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the jetty retains its family-friendly environment,” he said.

“It’s also a good example of the two organisations working together to help our community derive maximum benefit from the jetty.”

It is hoped CCTV will deter anti-social behaviour on the jetty, with video footage passed to police in the event of any incidents.

Mayor Ian Stubbs said the use of CCTV along the jetty had real merit.

“We all have a responsibly to preserve the jetty environment as a safe and happy place to visit and while CCTV will certainly help to identify wrongdoers, I would also encourage people to report suspicious or unruly behaviour to the police,” he said.

“Some of the acts of vandalism recently enacted have been nothing short of stupid. Nothing would be more satisfying than being able to identifying those responsible and pursuing matters through the courts with the backing of hard evidence.”

Federal Shadow Minister for Justice Michael Keenan will visit the jetty on Tuesday to gain an understanding of Busselton’s CCTV requirements.

Mr Keenan has been invited by Federal Member for Forrest Nola Marino, to be briefed about the city’s current CCTV coverage and its future needs.

The Liberal Party has promised if elected it would create a $50m CCTV funding pool for local councils across Australia.