Gatineau police opening surveillance camera registry to fight crime

Gatineau Police Service Photo by Gatineau Police Service /HANDOUTArticle content

Gatineau police are creating a “surveillance camera registry” and are asking business owners and residents with outdoor cameras to sign up.

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“By registering their cameras, residents can partner with the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) to help police officers and investigators advance investigations following a crime that may have occurred in their neighbourhood,” said Gatineau police in a statement released Thursday.

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“The purpose of the camera registry is to maintain a database of residents who may have images captured by surveillance cameras in order to expedite and facilitate investigations following a crime.”

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Police often ask for the public’s help in investigating crimes that may have surveillance camera or dashcam footage of an incident or suspects. This initiative takes it one step further by asking residents to sign up their cameras.

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The project was inspired by a similar registry introduced by the Trois Rivières Police Department in 2018, where surveillance camera footage has been used to track the route of impaired drivers and indentify suspects in hit-and-run cases and assaults outside bars. Other Quebec police forces have also adopted a surveillance camera registry.

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Being on the registry does not give police access to surveillance tape, said Gatineau police. The camera owner must provide consent for police to view footage. Registering a camera doesn’t imply consent, and consent may be withdrawn at any time.

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Cameras that are registered must be outdoors, and the cameras must retain the recordings. Cameras that qualify include fixed cameras and doorbell cameras.

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