'It’s bureaucracy gone mad,' Concerns raised over new anti-dumping CCTV in West Waterford
The public consultation for 30 areas which may get anti-dumping CCTV is open until early August. Stock Image.
A Dungarvan councillor has called the process of using CCTV to catch illegal dumping “bureaucracy gone mad.”
Cllr Damien Geoghegan said at the July sitting of Dungarvan-Lismore District Council that staff should be allowed to decide where cameras go without having to announce it first.
He pointed out that if you issue a notice and go through the public consultation, people who dump their rubbish will just move somewhere else.
“We tell people we are going to put them in such and such a place.
"The person who wants to dump their rubbish won’t go there - that’s fair enough, but then they will go somewhere else and we will have another blackspot on our hands and we will have to go through the same rigmarole again.
“It’s bureaucracy gone mad,” said Cllr Geoghegan.
Senior Executive Officer in the Environment Section, Dawn Wallace acknowledged that the current system is administratively “onerous” but said it is a legislative issue designed to protect people’s right to privacy.
Ms Wallace also said that the 30 areas that are part of the consultations will not all have cameras.
“We don’t have the budget for that. So we are taking the top five areas and doing something with those first, and then those cameras will be placed in different locations at different times,” said Ms Wallace.
Cllr John Pratt asked how long it would take to get the cameras up and running once the consultation process was complete.
And he asked if the footage could be used to prosecute those who dump waste illegally.
“I just think it is welcome development and I just hope we can get them in situ soon,” said Cllr Pratt.
Ms Wallace said they were conducting the tendering process alongside the public consultation.
She said they hope to have them live soon after both processes are completed.
But that does depend on availability.
On the question of prosecution, she said it depends on whether they can identify the person caught on camera.
“Of course, we want to prosecute on the basis of evidence from those, but it's subject to people being recognised and having the right evidence to prosecute them, which is what Cllr Geoghan is alluding to.
"If you don’t know who is doing it, we can’t take legal action,” said Ms Wallace.
