CCTV to be installed on the Blackrock railway line

CCTV is to be used on the Blackrock railway line as part of Garda plans to detect and deter anti-social behaviour, it has been revealed.

Labour candidate for the South East Ward, Peter Horgan, welcomed the move, but said that “bureaucratic delays” are hampering the guidelines necessary to use CCTV in a number of scenarios.

In July this year, The Echo revealed that the Government was yet to receive codes of practice that would allow local authorities to use CCTV and other technologies to detect and tackle illegal dumping, a year after an act on the topic was brought into law.

The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 provides for the GDPR-compliant use of a range of technologies, such as CCTV, for waste enforcement purposes to support efforts to tackle illegal dumping and littering, while protecting the privacy rights of citizens.

The act was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins last year. However, local authorities across Ireland are still waiting for the green light to use CCTV to tackle illegal dumping and littering.

Speaking after the recent Blackrock Mahon Community Forum, Mr Horgan welcomed confirmation that the Blackrock Railway Line is on a list for gardaí to utilise CCTV infrastructure to catch and deter anti-social behaviour, but said that the bureaucratic delays hampering guidelines on CCTV use needs to be acted on a lot faster.

“There’s a glacial pace to the process on these guidelines weirding their way from local authorities to the Custom House for Ministerial Approval,” said Mr Horgan.

“It is vital that councils are afforded the use of all the tools they have at their disposal to protect communities from anti-social behaviour and dumping.”