Municipality of North Grenville installs 4 CCTV cameras in Kemptville

The Municipality of North Grenville has installed security cameras in four popular spots. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

The Municipality of North Grenville says it has installed four new CCTV cameras around Kemptville in a bid to help discourage crime.

Earlier this year, the Ontario government gave Grenville County OPP $37,825 to help pay for the cameras, through the Ontario Closed Circuit Television Grant, which is part of Ontario’s Guns and Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy.

In a social media post, the municipality said the grant money and support from Seniors’ Community Services, Victim Services of Leeds and Grenville, and North Grenville District High School also contributed to the new cameras.

“The new cameras and signage help discourage theft, vandalism, and other crimes, while also providing important information to assist investigations when needed,” the municipality said on Facebook. “By combining technology, education, and awareness, this initiative helps strengthen public safety and gives everyone greater peace of mind.”

The cameras are located outside the North Grenville Public Library, the Kemptville Pool Building, Riverside Park, and Private Blake Williamson Memorial Hall and Armoury.

Mayor of North Grenville Nancy Peckford says the new cameras are a proactive measure.  

“It’s definitely proactive. As a growing community, as our parks get busier, as we invest in these facilities, it just made sense to us to leverage technology,” Peckford told CTV News Ottawa.

According to Peckford, the cameras can act as a deterrent to crime in the areas where they’re installed.

“We thought it was prudent, to have some of this camera technology available to us, just to help deter thefts, and other activities of course, that might compromise the safety and usability of these spaces,” Peckford said.

“We thought it made sense at this juncture in our evolution as a community. We’ve spent a lot of money in Riverside Park and invested heavily in making sure that’s a great family oriented space for kids, young and old, and we thought the cameras were a practical way to protect everyone.”

Last year, the Town of Prescott installed dozens of cameras, with some of the costs covered by the Ontario government.

With files from CTV’s Dylan Dyson.

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