CCTV cameras could be coming to the city of White Rock, B.C., in a bid to “deter violent crime and anti-social behaviour.”
The cameras would not be monitored in real time and would be used both as a deterrent and to help RCMP collect evidence and solve crimes.
At their Monday meeting, city councillors will have the chance to vote on either a plan to install cameras in 30 locations along the Marine Drive strip and Uptown area or to work with the RCMP on three “higher-risk strategic locations” to install cameras.
In November 2023, council voted to get quotes from potential vendors who could set up a CCTV pilot program in the city.
The city got four bids, ranging in price from $219,150 to $571,000 and with varying degrees of complexity.
In a report headed to council Monday night, staff recommended the $571,000 bid by Houle Electric.
While the proposal is the most expensive the city received, staff found it represented the “best overall value and quality” and “demonstrates a better understanding of the scope of the work and the complexities it involves.”‘
The total capital costs of choosing the Houle bid would actually work out to $823,750. That figure includes $100,000 to contract a project manager, $10,000 to hire a consultant to deal with freedom of information requests and privacy impact assessment applications, and a 25 per cent contingency on the Houle bid itself. The city estimates operating the system would cost about $60,000 a year.
As an alternative to the Houle bid, councillors could vote to ask the RCMP to choose three high-impact locations for CCTV cameras, then assess their effectiveness to build out a broader implementation strategy. Staff would still need to work out costs for this strategy.
Councillors could also vote not to move ahead with cameras at all.
The vote comes months after a pair of high-profile stabbings on the White Rock Promenade, one of which proved fatal.
The April attacks rattled the seaside community and sparked a debate about public safety.
Dimitri Nelson Hyacinth, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault and second-degree murder in the attacks.