Tiny cameras new tool in war on crime

Small hidden cameras are to be used in one Auckland district in an attempt to catch criminals.

Papakura District Council is introducing the system, developed in New Zealand, which senses movement, takes photos and video and sends the information to a cellphone hooked up to the network.

The small lenses are waterproof and can be hidden in several ways, including in fibreglass rocks.

A law expert warns that the technology needs to be monitored carefully so as not to breach privacy laws.

The Safer Papakura Trust approached retail theft control company SLS to develop the technology, called the Covert Instant Alert system, after being unable to find anything that used video, not just still photos.

The Albany company is developing the technology for four locations identified by the police as problem areas.

Deputy Mayor Peter Goldsmith said trust members would hold the cellphone throughout the day. It would then be passed on to police and then Maori wardens who patrol the area.

"We want to send a message to these guys that when we catch you - and we will catch you with this technology - we will prosecute you."

SLS co-director Graham Zuill says the device does not emit light or sound so those being filmed are unaware.

The product will be sold only to reputable businesses or agencies using it to combat crime, he says.

Auckland District Law Society president Anna Fitzgibbon said privacy laws on surveillance state the public must be warned that cameras are operating in the area.

However, there was an exemption for cameras to be used in areas with high criminal activity. But the images could be used only for what they had been intended for.

The council must also be able to justify the purpose of the cameras if a complaint is made to the privacy commissioner by a member of the public or someone caught on camera.

The system is just one way Papakura is tackling crime.

Massey Park, Papakura High School and Takanini School have also been fitted with alarms which emit offensive sounds that only people under 25 can hear as the council attempts to stamp out graffiti and other offending in the area.

The trust has also started a "Dob-in-a-tagger" programme which has received 70 texts about tagging in the past two weeks.