PRIVACY concerns relating to the use of surveillance cameras may be jeopardising local authority investigations into the scourge of illegal dumping and other criminal offences.
Limerick City and County Council is one of seven local authorities that have been the subject of recent inspections by the Data Protection Commissioner over the use of CCTV.
Last October, Waterford City and County Council was reprimanded by the Commissioner on the basis that the Litter Pollution and Waste Management Acts didn’t provide a lawful basis for the use of covert cameras to detect and deter illegal dumping.
A spokeswoman for Limerick City and County Council said an audit by the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is ongoing and involved a number of meetings with Council officials and site inspections.
She confirmed that the audit related to the council’s use of 352 closed circuit television cameras around the city and county.
“In general, the Council installs CCTV cameras for the primary purpose of securing public order and safety in public places, and this includes the use of CCTV footage by the Council to support our enforcement functions.”
“The area of data protection law can raise complex legal issues and the Council welcomes the DPC audit of this area which is assisting in clarifying such issues in relation to CCTV.”
“The use of CCTV is permitted, in accordance with the law. We do not divulge operational matters in regard to enforcement matters.”
A spokesman for Clare County Council said it had ceased using surveillance cameras for more than a year due to concerns over General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) raised by the Data Protection Commissioner.
“The Environment Section does not operate any CCTV since 2020,” a Council spokesman told the Limerick Post.
“The Council Environment Section has six staff involved specifically in monitoring illegal dumping as well as environmental awareness programmes and community engagement, however full cooperation is provided from all Municipal Districts for both detection of offences and removal of dumped material,” the spokesman added.
Several mounds of rubbish which were recently found at the side of a road in Ardnacrusha, and in the Cratloe area, included a shopping trolley, bags of cans, beer bottles and other household waste. Environment staff have also responded to incidents of horse carcasses being dumped in an area near Meelick. Independent City councillor Frankie Daly, who supports the use of the surveillance cameras, told the Limerick Post: “We are getting over-bureaucratic with GDPR. I think it’s critically important that we are able to monitor our roads and our neighbourhoods.
“It’s vital we can track these people down and have them prosecuted. If you are not doing anything wrong, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting to think that people can get away with illegal dumping and that there’s no accountability and no methods to stop them.”