Durham Police can apply for for funding for updated CCTV cameras from Pickering to Clarington

Queen’s Park is providing police services around Ontario – including Durham – with $1 million in funding for new CCTV surveillance cameras to help in the fight against gun and gang violence and human trafficking.’

The money will be used by police services to pay for half of the costs to replace outdated equipment, enhance current technology, and expand CCTV camera coverage in areas where gun and gang violence and correlated crimes such as human trafficking are most prevalent.

“CCTV surveillance cameras are an essential tool in helping police detect, prevent and deter criminal activity and keep Ontarians safe,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “Tackling gun and gang violence requires all levels of government to work together. Ontario has stepped up to do its part, and we are pleased to support these locally led initiatives to help stamp out violence in communities across the province.”

The Ontario CCTV Grant program is part of the Province’s Guns, Gangs, and Violence Reduction Strategy. Projects funded through the grant, which will help deter criminal activity and improve public safety, build on a recent provincial investment of $75.1 million to support initiatives including a multi-jurisdictional gun and gang specialized prosecution unit and the Office of Illicit Drug Intelligence. To date, approximately $187 million has been invested to combat guns and gangs in Ontario, including more than $170,000 to the Durham Regional Police Services for their Overt Community Camera Project.

“Our frontline police, the heroes we rely on to bring criminals to justice, tell us that CCTV technology works and is one of the best tools we have to gain critical advantage over criminal organizations,” said Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby and Chief Government Whip. “These investments in updated CCTV systems will improve quality and coverage of captured video, deterring criminal activity and supporting the investigation and prosecution process.”

Peter Bethlenfalvy, the MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge and the Province’s Finance Minister, agreed, saying safety is the “top priority” of the provincial government.

The CCTV Grant program is intended to help with the purchase of CCTV cameras, associated supplies and software as well as installation costs, with the funding covering 50 per cent of project costs up to a maximum of $200,000.