Tamworth police: CCTV expansion for Tamworth Regional Council to deter crime

The region has one of the strongest networks of CCTV in the state, and this time the rollout will include not just Tamworth but Barraba, Manilla and Kootingal after business owners and police identified areas of concern.

There are now about 200 fixed cameras in our region and another 20 to be installed in this latest stage, Tamworth Crime Prevention Working Group chair Russell Webb said.

"We'll continue to seek further funding to keep updating new technology that's coming out," he said.

"We want the cameras in place to have clearer vision to help police do their job and have more evidence in the work they need to do.

"This has been an ongoing project and we are setting an example for the rest of the state, we have probably one of the best CCTV networks in NSW to make it a better and safer place to reside in."

This quarter, Oxley Police District officers requested CCTV footage from Tamworth Regional Council 36 times, up from 24 in the last quarter.

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The program was funded with a $956,000 federal government grant to Tamworth Regional Council, Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said.

"Security should not just be for Tamworth, it should also be for the surrounding towns and that's what this program of Safer Communities is delivering for us," he said.

"It will also assist in the court system by providing evidence such as who did what to whom or property."

There is also a mobile camera that can be positioned in areas that need more oversight, like during Tamworth Country Music Festival.

The first cameras were installed more than 10 years ago.

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