In response to community safety concerns, Cobourg police have installed two closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the town’s east end.
One of the cameras is installed at the intersection of Brook Road North and King Street East and the other is installed on Meredith Avenue off Brook Road North.
The two cameras are part of the Cobourg Police Service’s CCTV network that already consists of 28 operational cameras, with plans to almost double the number of cameras in operation next year.
On November 11, police officers canvassed neighbourhoods in the east end of Cobourg to hear directly from residents after seeing concerns raised online about community safety and crime that didn’t align with incident reports to police.
Officers spoke with 90 residents from the neighbourhoods of Cottesmore Avenue, Meredith Avenue, Thomas Street, Jane Street, Brook Road North, Rolling Street, and King Street East (between Cottesmore Avenue and Brook Road North).
The top three community concerns identified by residents included feeling unsafe while walking in the neighbourhood, people trespassing on property, and property being stolen from backyards and porches.
The top two responses from residents when asked what they would like to see done to address concerns were increased police presence through foot patrols, especially at night, and implementation of CCTV cameras in and around neighbourhoods.
The Cobourg Police Service’s CCTV network is funded through the Ontario government’s CCTV grant program, a three-year $6-million program announced in 2020 for police services across the province.
Cobourg police say the expansion of their CCTV network, which is scheduled for completion by the end of next summer, will further expedite the identification of suspects involved in incidents, facilitate evidence collection, and bolster court prosecutions.
As their CCTV project progresses, Cobourg police will also be launching a community-wide camera registry, where residents and companies can volunteer to register their own cameras with police so that, in the event of an incident, police can rapidly request footage from those participating in the program.
