CCTV System That Helped Catch The Killer of Jill Meagher May Be Scrapped

Despite public outrage over the rape and murder of Jill Meagher, the CCTVs that were installed to help catch her killer may be scrapped in 2019.

The security system of Melbourne’s Sydney Road in Brunswick has captured on camera Adrian Bayley as he stalked Ms Meagher, before raping and strangling her when she was less than 500m from her Brunswick home four years ago.

The CCTV became crucial to the police case against Bayley, who is now serving a minimum 40-year jail term.

However, the new City of Moreland council is contemplating on removing the security cameras, claiming that crimes were not reduced in the area since it was installed.

Yet, some residents do not agree. One resident, Shannon Freeman, who works at a café on Sydney Road and lives just metres from where Ms Meagher was attacked, says she feels safe with the CCTVs in place.

“I do feel relatively safe at the moment knowing that the cameras are there. However if they were removed, I would feel quite differently about it,” she said.

“Just for what happened to Jill Meagher, it would be beneficial to have (the cameras) there. It adds a bit of value to the street so people have a safe environment to come and dine and enjoy the street itself,” Costas Koulouris, another Moreland local said.

An independent review has found that the cameras were also expensive and have regularly malfunctioned. The $375,000 system of nine closed-circuit television cameras was funded by the state government and Moreland Council. The government has spent $125,000 in installing the cameras, while $83,000 has been spent on maintenance and staffing costs in the past two years. The $250,000 in additional funding for installation of the cameras was provided by the state government.

The system was installed in 2014 and was expected to be funded for five years, which ends in 2019, but in the wake of the report the council voted to further review the system’s effectiveness before committing more funding.

Now, Jill Meagher’s parents, George and Edith McKeon, are disappointed over the possibility of ditching the cameras. “We are extremely disappointed and horrified that a decision that had already been made (to install the cameras) and which gave us some comfort is now potentially going to be reversed,” they said.

In a statement, Moreland Mayor Helen Davidson said that until a decision has been made, they will coordinate with Victoria Police in terms of public safety. “No decision has been made and until we do make a decision, Moreland will continue to work closely with Victoria Police and other community agencies to do everything we can to improve public safety,” she said.

Sources: Au.news.yahoo.com, Theage.com.au, Heraldsun.com.au and Abc.net.au