Surrey councillor pushes for police access to city camera network

Surrey city councillor Linda Annis has drafted a proposal for the local police force to get access to the city’s network of 500 traffic cameras to crack down on crime.

She says that the current legislation only allows the Surrey Police Service (SPS) to view footage from the city’s CCTV cameras after submitting a formal request to City Hall.

“This needs to happen immediately,” Annis told 1130 NewsRadio.

“These extortion cases and gang violence have been horrific here in Surrey, and people are very afraid. We need to make sure that the police have every tool possible to help them solve these crimes.”

Annis says there should be a team monitoring the cameras 24/7.

“I think everywhere we go these days, people are on camera whether they like it or not. This problem is huge in Surrey, around extortion and around gang violence. We need to make sure that these cameras are used,” she said.

“There are many other cities that do have public safety cameras, Kelowna, for example.”

Annis added that giving the SPS real-time access to the surveillance footage would put existing technology to work that can help make Surrey safer.

“By the time the police can actually get the footage, there’s a huge disconnect. The information is useless in most cases because by that time, the people have fled the scene. They may not even be in the same city,” Annis added.

The SPS says that they are in contact with city staff to accelerate the process of accessing the cameras.

“We are working with the city to try to make the process of accessing the cameras more efficient while also addressing any privacy concerns. SPS and the Surrey Police Board will also be submitting a proposal in the near future to the city to request that the city monitor the cameras overnight, which is currently not the case, so that any urgent requests can be acted on,” said SPS Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton in a written statement.

Civil rights groups against proposal

However, Annis’ proposal is facing backlash from civil rights groups.

Aislin Jackson with the BC Civil Liberties Association warned the move could come at the cost of personal privacy.

“We really need to protect individuals’ privacy and, in particular, the privacy of information about individuals. Especially, I’m thinking of intimate partner violence contacts. It could make people very vulnerable to abuse and danger,” he told 1130 NewsRadio.

Jackson says that the councillor’s proposal would not be in accordance with the Canadian constitutional order and charter values.

Annis runs for mayor in this year’s civic election

“Images of people’s faces, of their vehicles, information about where they are in real time, that’s all sensitive information. And unfortunately, it’s not just the case that police are protective, but officers can also be perpetrators of crime in their own right.”

Annis, who is running for mayor in this year’s civic election, is now calling on the SPS and senior management with the city to implement the change.

The SPS declined to comment further on the proposal.

“Given she is running for Mayor of Surrey, it would not be appropriate for SPS to have input on what may be items related to her campaign,” Houghton said.