A Government scheme to support local communities in installing crime-busting CCTV systems remains largely underspent, according to figures released by Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan.

While €1m is available each year for 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Department of Justice has spent under €120,000 so far supporting just four successful applications, Minister Flanagan has told the Dáil.

Another four applications are under consideration and three have been returned to the applicants for further information, he added.

“I am very conscious of the value that communities, especially rural communities, place on CCTV as a means of deterring crime and assisting in the detection of offenders and I would encourage interested groups to avail of the scheme,” Minister Flanagan said.

‘Untenable’ requirements

He was replying to a question from Sinn Féin Offaly TD Carol Nolan, who attributed the scheme’s poor uptake to “untenable” requirements.

Community groups can receive up to €40,000 to install security cameras if they obtain Garda and local authority approval, comply with specifications and a detailed code of practice, and raise funds for the long-term operation of the system.

Minister Flanagan said the conditions were “more user-friendly” than under a previous scheme, which supported 45 CCTV projects between 2005 and 2013.

Deputy Nolan called on the minister to ease the requirements and said: “As the scheme is inaccessible to many community groups, it limits its potential in rural areas.”

“The scheme has nearly ground to a halt,” according to Niall Garvey, chief executive of the community development organisation Muintir na Tíre.

Data controller

Although many communities want to install CCTV, Garvey said a lot of local authorities have declined to take on the role of “data controller” to manage images from the cameras as expected.

“They don’t have the training and resources,” he said, adding that the issue would need to be resolved at Government level because the scheme and local authorities fall under different departments. “The gardaí would be well equipped for the role of data controller, but might need additional resources,” Garvey said.

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Only 4% of €3m CCTV scheme spent by Government

Local networks of security cameras are seen as an efficient way of combating rural crime, but a Government support scheme has attracted low numbers of applicants.