As businesses deal with trash dumping, vandalism and petty theft, the Barrhaven BIA is providing free security cameras to its members in the hopes of deterring some of the issues.
The BIA will be bulk purchasing cameras to help members monitor spaces outside of their businesses and in an effort to support the Ottawa Police Services’ CAMSafe program, which launched in March.
The program allows residents and businesses to register existing video surveillance systems with local police and provide their contact information, indicating their willingness to share footage from their cameras to support police investigations.
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“We thought we might as well take advantage of this new program,” said Andrea Steenbakkers, executive director of the Barrhaven BIA. “There has been, like everywhere in the city, an uptick in crime in general, sort of across the board. It’s something that we’re hearing from our members is an issue.”
OPS said in a press release in March that it doesn’t have access to live footage from cameras, but will be able to contact device owners if their footage might be useful in an investigation. It added that other police services have implemented similar programs, including the Ontario Provincial Police and cities including Belleville, Peterborough and Sudbury.
Members of the BIA who sign up will receive an interior window-mounted camera that will face the exterior of their storefront to monitor outdoor spaces.
So far, more than 50 businesses in Barrhaven have signed up to receive a camera with more expected to participate, according to Steenbakkers, who said the cameras will be bulk-ordered for arrival in late June.
“In a nutshell, (OPS has) created this as a modern-day Neighbourhood Watch,” said Steenbakkers. “Most people nowadays have some form of camera, doorcam, Googlecam, Nestcam on their door. You register and if there’s an incident in your vicinity, they can quickly contact you.”
While Steenbakkers said Barrhaven businesses don’t deal with as many break-ins as in other areas of the city, there have been other problems that could be deterred with a more robust camera network, such as graffiti and petty theft as well as loitering. And for larger commercial properties such as malls, trash dumping is one of the most frustrating.
“It might not seem like a significant issue but it is because commercial properties have to pay for their own garbage removal,” she said. “Garbage areas are overflowing with people dumping their household garbage in commercial bins. It’s unsightly for customers, it attracts wildlife, but mostly it’s the cost. And the garbage pick-up companies themselves are overwhelmed.”
The timing of the initiative is appropriate, she added, with incidents worsening in the summer.
“We just hope that people might think twice if they know we’ve got a lot of cameras here now,” she said. “Those are the types of behaviours we’re hoping to curb with this camera program.”
