By Callum Ludwig
Regularly maintained CCTV networks are not a rarity, with councils around the state operating both extensive and small-scale networks of cameras to service their community.
55 of Victoria’s 79 councils have policies outlining their use of CCTV in public spaces and the Star Mail reached out to councils near and far to find out more about their CCTV setups and see what might work for the Yarra Ranges.
Close to home, all of the Knox, Maroondah and Cardinia LGAs operate some form of camera surveillance.
Cardinia Shire Council Mayor Jack Kowarzik said the presence of CCTV across their Shire supports their community to feel safer and enjoy community spaces with greater peace of mind.
“The safety of our community is very important to Council, that is why we take a collaborative approach with Victoria Police and other agencies towards addressing safety in the Shire and supporting local crime prevention through various methods including the use of CCTV cameras,” he said.
Cardinia Shire Council continuously funds the operation of their cameras has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Victoria Police regarding them. They have also worked with police to install two Mobile CCTV Trailers (MCTs) in areas of the Shire identified as experiencing an increase in criminal activity or public disorder, which are entirely managed by Victoria Police.
Knox City Council confirmed they have a public safety CCTV system in Boronia that is monitored and managed by Victoria Police.
“This aims to create a safer environment for our community and reduce crime through deterrence and detection,” a Knox City Council spokesperson said.
“This is maintained through our capital works program.”
Maroondah City Council were contacted for comment.
Mornington Peninsula Shire, which Yarra Ranges Council has drawn their own ‘peri-urban’ comparisons to in recent years, has 44 CCTV systems in their LGA.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Anthony Marsh said they receive no funding from the state or federal government or any other third party for this.
“We are committed to the ongoing maintenance of the existing CCTV systems but have had to cap our annual expenditure on them, it is worth noting Council does not access or use any of the data produced by the CCTV systems, it is solely for the use by Victoria Police,” he said.
“We continue to regularly receive requests for installation of CCTV systems but we cannot support further installation of CCTV systems unless requested by Victoria Police and where the installation and lifecycle maintenance costs are met by external parties,”
“This is yet another example of cost-shifting from the State Government to local councils. While the public rightly expects safety infrastructure like CCTV, the financial responsibility continues to fall on councils without appropriate funding support.”
As expected, the City of Melbourne has extensive CCTV capabilities through its Safe City Camera Program with 238 cameras and a mobile CCTV van, operated by trained security contractors and monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In 2024-25 alone, over $13 million was spent in the city on public safety, including funding for street lighting, security, daily patrol programs, an additional eight cameras on Lygon Street and an 12-month trial expansion of the Safe City Camera Program on Albert Street, East Melbourne.
For more information, including Safe City Camera locations in the City of Melbourne for interested visitors from the Yarra Ranges, visit: melbourne.vic.gov.au/safe-city-cameras.
The City of Melbourne, Whitehorse City Council, Hume City Council, East Gippsland Shire Council and Horsham Rural City Council were all included in a 2018 audit by the Victorian Auditor General’s Office which looked at bth corporate and public safety CCTV systems used by these councils and found, at the time, that there were no ‘instances of inappropriate use of surveillance systems or footage’ but all of them could have improved their security measures to protect the cameras themselves.
Whitehorse City Council Mayor Andrew Davenport said CCTV can help to improve public safety and protect community buildings and facilities and that they work collaboratively with Victoria Police to ensure CCTV footage is available to them.“The three public locations in Whitehorse with CCTV systems are Mitcham’s Britannia Mall, Box Hill Mall and Box Hill Gardens. These cameras were funded by grants from the State Government. Council now has the ongoing ownership and maintenance responsibilities for this equipment. This footage is only accessible by Victoria Police,” he said.
“Several of Council’s facilities have internally focussed CCTV systems: our Aqualink sites, Box Hill Town Hall, other sports and arts facilities, customer service centres and our recycling and waste centre. This footage is kept and accessed in accordance with legislative requirements and then deleted.”
The City of Yarra is one of the only councils in the state to openly state that it does not operate surveillance systems, including CCTV cameras, in public spaces.
On their website, the City of Yarra said the evidence on the effectiveness of CCTV for crime prevention is inconclusive.
“We view CCTV as a standard police operational tool and that the installation and management of such systems should be the responsibility of the Victorian Government,” it reads.
“Instead, we apply Crime Prevention through Environmental Design principles, which aim to deter criminal behaviour through optimising physical environments in order to lessen the opportunity for crime. Examples include lighting and clear sightlines to ensure visibility.”
