MANITOULIN—The Manitoulin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has implemented the CamSafe program. CamSafe is a program aimed at creating a database of residential and commercial security cameras within a community that may act as a resource for police when investigating offences/crime.
“We launched the CamSafe program yesterday,” said Manitoulin OPP Detachment Commander Robert Walsh at a Manitoulin Community Police Advisory Committee (CPAC) meeting last week.
“When a police officer uses the CamSafe database they will see a map of the local area. Officers can click on registered addresses to view further details, such as property owner contact information,” said Provincial Constable Jessica Gilbertson, community safety officer/media relations with the Manitoulin OPP. “Officers cannot access your security cameras or cloud-based accounts. If police would like to examine camera footage, they can make a request to the property owner using contact information from their database.”
“Interested community members are only required to provide basic contact information and camera location, but can include more details if desired, such as direction the camera faces, footage retention details or screenshots of the camera view,” Constable Gilbertson continues. “Registrants can only view their own information and can delete their account or change their information at any time.”
Businesses and community members can register voluntarily for the program indicating they have security cameras, CCTV systems and doorbell cameras. CamSafe does not have access to footage or cameras, and for those community members/businesses only basic contact information and an address is required to sign up. Only the police have access to the registry information.
“It allows our officers, if there is a call for service, to look at a database map and to know who is registered as having a camera in the area the crime has taken place,” said Detachment Commander Walsh. “All it means is that we will know someone has a camera in the area of the incident. Then an officer will ask the community member or business if we can view the camera footage. It expedites the time an officer would normally have to take to get information than having to canvas homes or businesses in an area.” He pointed out the program has already been shown in other areas to provide critical evidence after a criminal incidence has taken place, “because officers can see a crime taking place on the camera.”
“It is a good program, totally voluntary and is no cost to anyone,” said Detachment Commander Walsh.
To learn more about the CamSafe program and to register security cameras visit camsafe.ca.
