Six months on, Navan's CCTV cameras prove their worth

Garda Superintendent Michael Devine has hailed Navan's new CCTV cameras a major success in tackling crime in the town, following a 33 per cent drop in public order offences for December, compared with the same period in 2010. Supt Devine said there had also been a "dramatic reduction in the number of assaults" in recent months due to the installation of the nine-camera system in the central areas of Navan. He went on to say that thefts from shops had also decreased significantly as a result of the cameras. "Gardaí at Navan Garda Station and on patrol find the system particularly useful as they communicate with each other and can, in many cases, pre-empt events and take early action," he said. Michael Cassidy, the project co-ordinator, also welcomed the news and said that "all the effort from 2006 in getting the system was well worth it as the citizens and retailers can feel safer as they use the streets of Navan". Mr Cassidy was responsible for preparing the application to secure a grant of €94,000 from the Department of Justice and a further €94,000 from Navan Town Council. He thanked all those who had supported the application, especially Navan Town Council. Navan Chamber president William O'Reilly thanked "all those involved in getting what has been described as one of the most up-to-date CCTV systems in the country". The long-awaited CCTV cameras for the town, which were first applied for in 2007, were finally activated and connected to the monitoring centre in the local town hall last July - the connection to Navan Garda Station went online in August. The cameras have been installed at areas with the most footfall around the town, such the Kennedy Road footpath outside the Navan Town Centre entrance, at the Trimgate Street and Kennedy Road intersection, on the island at Market Square, at the N3/Meath Chronicle intersection, the Church Hill/Ludlow Street junction, the Railway Street roundabout, the Trimgate Street/Railway Street intersection, at the Navan Garda Station roundabout at Kennedy Road/Abbey Road and at the N3 shopping centre junction. Supt Devine said the locations for the cameras were chosen on the basis of them being 'focal points' for people congregating, not necessarily for crime, and said that they were a "preventative measure", as well as being helpful with "video evidence and public appeals".