Moreland Council fails to deliver on CCTV promise after Jill Meagher’s murder

Jill Meagher.

 

ALMOST two years after Jill Meagher was killed while walking home alone from a Brunswick bar, the local council still hasn’t installed CCTV cameras on the street where she was last seen alive. 

Despite accepting $250,000 from the State Government and agreeing in June last year to install nine cameras along Sydney Rd, Moreland Council has failed to get any of those cameras working.

And new figures show that last year, 60 parolees were convicted of a violent or sexual offence committed after they were given early release. On average, they reoffended within six months of release.

In a sign that there are still serious problems with the state’s parole system one in four of the offences — which included seven sex offences — was committed in the year to June.

The figures from the Adult Parole Board annual report, tabled in Parliament yesterday, show 60 parolees were convicted of 75 offences, including 24 aggravated burglaries; 17 threats to kill; 11 of causing serious injury; 11 armed robberies; three kidnappings; and one manslaughter.

Corrections Minister Edward O’Donohue said there were “good signs”.

Thousands of people attend the Jill Meagher peace march along Sydney Road.

 

“Under the Coalition Government’s reforms, fewer offenders were granted parole and almost double the number of offenders were denied parole,” Mr O’Donohue said.

But he slammed Moreland Council for its failure to install the nine cameras.

“It is just extraordinary that Moreland Council has utterly failed in delivering this CCTV system in the interests of community safety, when they have been given the money to buy the cameras, and Victoria Police has advised it.”

The Herald Sun can reveal Moreland Council has installed four of the nine CCTV cameras along Sydney Rd, Brunswick, but none is operational despite the installation of signs advising that CCTV is operating in the area.

Moreland Mayor Lambros Tapinos said the camera rollout was much more complex than simply putting a camera on a pole.

Moreland has installed cameras - but none is operational.

 

“The rollout of the cameras has been frustratingly slow, because of many layers of permissions required from the power companies and from other owners of the light poles in the municipality,” Mr Tapinos said.

“Four of the nine cameras are installed and another four will be installed this week.

“We are looking forward to the system being operational as soon as possible,” he said.

It is understood council had to seek permission from power company AGL and government body VicTrack to attach the cameras to their poles.

The council was offered $250,000 by the Government in February 2013 to buy cameras for Sydney Rd, where Ms Meagher was last seen before being killed in September 2012.

It took four months for the council to accept the government funding.

Under the Government’s funding deal, council has to pay for the installation and maintenance of the cameras, and the vision will be fed to local police once working.

The equipment to send the footage, monitor it and store it wirelessly has been installed at the Brunswick watchhouse.

heraldsun.com.au 16sep 2014

The business corporation commonly known as the Moreland City Council (ABN: 46 202 010 737), is there unlawfully (masquerading fraudulently as 'local government') where the CEO of the organisation, is committing a criminal offence.

Corpau has been informed by a source that wishes to remain anonymous that the monies go into a slush fund where parties are held for the employees of the council.

The Victorian police commissioner is another criminal in office, allowing rapists and women abusers  to be let loose by police and the legal system back into the community to rape again, where people who do not pay an [unlawful] parking ticket 'fine' end up in jail.