CCTV

Several years ago our community asked Council to do more towards making our city a safer place to live, work and play. We've found that providing a CCTV camera network help us record safety incidents, detect problems before they happen, and help us provide an immediate response when things go wrong.

Hutt City Council and the Police are dedicated to ensuring that the community’s right to privacy is paramount. In planning this camera system, Council has strictly followed the Privacy Commissioner's guidelines by engaging with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner throughout the development of this camera system. Council are confident that everything has been done to ensure the need for privacy, while having an effective community safety tool.

Privacy.org

Here are some of the things we look for:

• theft
• property damage
• anti-social behaviour
• breach of liquor bans
• assaults
• burglary
• traffic incidents.

These categories are selected because Police statistics show that these categories are of concern in the camera’s area of operation. If there is a serious crime of another nature, the cameras will play a role in getting help to the scene as soon as possible, and/or helping with a Police investigation later.

You can see where all of the CCTV cameras are located throughout Lower Hutt.

Map of CCTV cameras

All operators are volunteers who are vetted by Police and selected for their commitment and values. They receive  training and must follow a strict code of conduct.

If you would like to be part of a team that makes a real difference to the safety of the Hutt Valley, contact the coordinator at cctv.requests@huttcity.govt.nz

All monitoring and use of footage is carried out in accordance with the Privacy Act. Anonymised data is collected to assist with immediate responses and to help with evidence-based planning to improve safety and wellbeing.

The cameras are recording 24/7, 365 days a year.

Council stores the footage for one month.

During this time, it's available for Police to use in their investigations. Police must make an application to Council outlining the need for the recorded information. If the request meets the criteria (as set by the Privacy Act 2020, and the memorandum of understanding between Hutt City Council and the New Zealand Police) then a copy of the specific incident will be made.

Your request should be as clear and specific as possible. You can specify the format you want the information presented in, for example, by email or in hard copy.

Requests should include:

• your name
• your postal address
• preferred email address
• details of the information you want.

We’ll acknowledge your request as soon as possible. We're required by law to respond no later than 20 working days after we receive it. For large requests or those requiring consultation, the Act allows for a reasonable extension to this time limit. If so, we’ll let you know and give you a specific due date.

If you amend your request, the 20 working days will start from the day after this amendment has been received. If we need to clarify your request and do so within the first seven working days, the 20 working day timeframe will begin again once the clarified request is confirmed. This is because we’ll be unable to process your request until it is clear.

The Official Information Act (OIA) says information should be made available unless there is good reason to withhold it. We may only withhold information for specific reasons set out in the Act. If this occurs, we’ll explain the reasons why.

Official Information Act

If you're unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Ombudsman. The Chief Ombudsman recommends contacting us in the first instance to see if we can resolve the issue.

Make a complaint