A Hawke’s Bay woman whose parked car was smashed into has saved $500 thanks to council CCTV cameras.
Tracy Murfitt was having lunch with friends in Havelock North the Monday before Christmas,
“How nice is that? A catch-up and a nice meal. I arrived at 1pm and left about 2.30pm,” Murfitt said.
“My car was in Treachers Lane, it was raining and I just hopped in and drove. When I got home my neighbour said: ‘Tracy what’s wrong with your car’?”
The car had been smashed into. “It was a mess and looked as if it had been turned inside out like an envelope. The grill was broken as well.”
Then she noticed a note under the windscreen wiper.
“Unfortunately, the rain had turned it into a pulpy mess and I couldn’t make head nor tail of it.”
She took the car to the panelbeaters who said it was a “bad hit” and there was internal damage including the air conditions unit.
“I was livid.”
While Murfitt had insurance, she knew she would be stuck with the $500 excess unless she could find the person responsible for the damage.
“I knew there were cameras in Treachers Lane so I went into the Hastings District Council office where I was directed to the website.
“I filled out the electronic form with dates and times and, just 24 hours later, I had a phone call. They told me they had found the footage which showed a car smashing into mine.
“The driver got out, looked at the damage, shrugged their shoulders, went away, returned shortly after and left. A witness had put a note under my windscreen. [The council] gave me the number plate which I passed on to my insurance company saving myself $500.
“I am so grateful, it’s a great way of getting information and it was a simple process.”
Council requests
Hastings District Council said it had received 61 requests for its CCTV footage last year.
A council spokesperson said there were several ways to request footage, including phone and email, so this number was not the total of all general public requests and also didn’t include requests from organisations such as police.
“The CCTV team deals with a range of requests – from minor carpark crashes to assisting police as they investigate the most serious offences,” the spokesperson said.
“While requests are not recorded according to topic, the majority relate to thefts or stolen property, property damage, assaults and driving incidents.
“Once a written request for footage is received and assessed as meeting the requirements to be actioned, CCTV operators will search the relevant footage and save only what is required to meet that specific request.”
The Hastings District Council has more than 560 camera feeds coming into the operations centre, so not all cameras are directly monitored all the time.
“Rather, priority cameras are kept up for viewing and the others searched as required. We do have staff working overnight seven days a week and they have direct communication with police as need be.”
The spokesperson said information related to offending was made available to police on request.
“However, council is bound by its obligations under the Privacy Act 2020 and the privacy commissioner’s guidelines for CCTV and requests for footage are considered accordingly.”
The spokesperson said the presence of CCTV in an area does cause people to modify their behaviour. “The extensive network of cameras across wider Hastings contributes to crime prevention, alongside the efforts of police.”
The council also employed City Assist, Kaitiaki and Skatepark Guardian staff to further support community safety.
By Linda Hall of Local Democracy Reporting
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.