Following an approach made by Ballymena Chamber of Commerce and Industry to Ballymena Borough Council in 1999, it was agreed to examine the possibility of submitting an application for CCTV funding to the Policing Board. The policing Board were allocating finace for CCTV schemes at this time on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.
Ballymena Borough Council formed a partnership with Ballymena Chamber and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in order to submit an application. The application was successful and the Town Centre Public Area CCTV System in Ballymena was officially opened by the Mayor on the 15th November 2001, with a total of 15 cameras being operational in the Town Centre and Harryville areas.
Partnership
The Partnership approach was further enhanced by the introduction of Radio Link in Ballymena, which allows retailers to communicate directly with the CCTV operators by radio and is managed by Ballymena Retailers Against Crime. BRAC was successful in obtaining a grant from the Northern Ireland Community Safety Unit through the local Ballymena Community Safety Partnership in 2003.This enabled the purchase of radio equipment and employment of a full time Manager.
The Radio Link in Ballymena has now become the largest scheme in the Northern Ireland Daytime Economy.
The CCTV scheme and Radio link work closely in partnership to combat Town Centre crime with the ability for the retail community to interact directly with CCTV having a major impact in reducing crime rates.
Ballymena Borough Council, by providing the CCTV Scheme and supporting the Radio Link initiative, have illustrated the commitment to the local economy by providing a safer retail experience for shoppers and businesses alike. Ballymena Town Centre has earned the accolade of having the safest retail and business environment in Northern Ireland in addition to being the Number 1 Town for Shopping.
What are the CCTV cameras used for?
The objectives of Ballymena Borough Council’s CCTV system are:
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To contribute to reduction of crime, fear of crime and community.
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To assist in overall management of town centres and public areas.
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To assist with traffic management.
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To enhance community safety, boost the economy and encourage greater use of the Town centre and local shopping areas.
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To assist the local authority and police in their regulatory functions within the city centre.
What are your rights?
The Data Protection Act allows you to find out what CCTV images the council holds of you. This is known as the ‘right of subject access’.
Your rights regarding access to the CCTV images the council may hold of you are:To ask the council if it holds information about you.
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Management
The rationale for Ballymena Borough Council introducing the CCTV Scheme was to take the lead on a partnership approach to deal with Town Centre Crime. Following an evaluation report in 2003, the oversight of the Scheme was placed in the hands of the Town Centre Partnership, which has now evolved into the Ballymena Town Centre Partnership Business Improvement District, and the management still rests with this group.
Expansion
In 2008 the CCTV Scheme saw a major expansion following a further successful application through the Ballymena Community Safety Partnership to the Northern Ireland Office Community Safety Unit. The result has been the installation of a further 7 Cameras on the periphery of the Town Centre.
CCTV IMAGES AND YOU
Information is provided below about your right to access CCTV images that may be held of you.
What is the Data Protection Act?
The Data Protection Act 1998 came into force on 1 March 2000. The Act sets guidelines for processing personal information and applies to some CCTV images as well as images held on computers.
The Data Protection Act works in two ways. It gives you certain rights. It also says the council must be open about how your personal information is used and must follow the rules of ‘good information handling’.
How long are CCTV images kept?
CCTV images are only kept for 28 days. After this period the image will be destroyed.
How can I see the information held about me?
You need to complete the application form, which can be obtained from the Town Centre Manager at 4 Wellington Court, Ballymena BT43 6EQ, Telephone Number 028 2563 3930. It can also be downloaded from the link below.A charge is made for the search and production of images, which is currently £20.
Please provide as much detail as possible when filling in the form, including the date, time and location of when your image was captured, together with a description of what you were wearing and a photograph, which will enable us to locate the footage.
If you would like a particular incident searched for, please supply additional details.
The completed form should be returned with payment of the £20 fee to:
The Town Centre Manager
4 Wellington Court
Ballymena
BT43 6EQ
Tel 028 2563 3930
What information will I receive?
You will receive a copy of the information that the council holds about you. This could take the form of a video tape or video still photographs.
There may be occasions that a copy of the tape cannot be supplied and if this is the case you will be told why and offered the future opportunity to view the tape at council premises.
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