A pair of motions were approved by Chatham-Kent Council on Monday, September 11, 2023, which both aim to boost security and crime prevention in downtown Wallaceburg.
Motions by Councillors Carmen McGregor and Aaron Hall were both approved unanimously during the consent agenda portion of the meeting.
Hall’s motion directs the Chatham-Kent Police Service to provide an update and presentation to Council on the data gathered from the CCTV pilot project in Chatham in February of 2024.
The motion also encourages the Chatham-Kent Police Service to start the process for expanding the CCTV program into downtown Wallaceburg “sometime in the second or third quarter of 2024, including the submission of grant applications to offset cost,” Hall said in his motion.
“The previous term of Council approved a pilot project for CCTV security cameras to be installed in downtown Chatham,” Hall said in his motion, adding that the project went live on July 1, 2023.
“The intention with this pilot project was to gather data for one year to justify expanding the CCTV project to other communities in Chatham-Kent.”
Hall also added in his motion that Wallaceburg is the next largest urban community within the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and fibre infrastructure needed for CCTV cameras is set to be installed in downtown Wallaceburg this year, as part of the street light replacement project.
McGregor’s motion directs staff to read and assess the recently completed Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Audit for downtown Wallaceburg by the Chatham-Kent Police Service and make the recommended improvements related to Municipal property.
McGregor is has requested that staff report back to Council and the Wallaceburg BIA Board with an update on the improvements within six months.
“A CPTED asserts that the proper design, effective use, and maintenance and management of the built environment can lead to the reduction in the incidence and fear of crime and an improvement in the quality of life,” McGregor said in her motion.
Some of the audit recommendations relate to property owned by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, McGregor added.
