The Ontario government says it’s installing new closed-circuit television cameras on Highway 410, but not to catch criminals.

Brampton mayor Patrick Brown made headlines at the end of October after calling on the province to install more CCTV cameras on Highways 410 and 403 — running north-south from Highway 10 in Caledon to the Highway 403/401 split in Mississauga — as a crime prevention and policing tool after a recent spike in violence on and around the highway.

Brown tabled a successful motion at the Oct. 25 Peel Police Services Board meeting to have Peel police work with the Ontario government for approval and funding for more cameras.

Ontario Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney was in Brampton on Tuesday for a Brampton Board of Trade event, where she announced the addition of six new cameras to add to the six already installed on the 410.

However, Mulroney said the contract for the new cameras was already handed out before the mayor’s request — as a traffic management tool.

“When MTO (Ministry of Transportation) does its determinations about more cameras we do so based on traffic management because that is our mandate,” she said. “Those cameras are there to monitor congestion, incidents on our highways and looking out for (road) safety.

“MTO does aid police services. We get requests all the time from police forces across the region to provide footage from those cameras to aid in their investigations of Highway Traffic Act violations or to look at other criminal activity,” added the minister.

While police services in Ontario are able to access CCTV footage, crime rates or policing needs are not currently a determining factor in where the technology is placed and why.

According to Mulroney, there are approximately 545 CCTV cameras along 400-series highways across the province, including 15 on Highway 403 and the existing six on the 410. Any additional cameras aimed specifically at fighting crime would fall under the purview of the office of solicitor general and Caledon MPP, Sylvia Jones.

“If there is a view that we need more cameras to aid in investigations, those requests would be worked out with her directly,” said Mulroney.

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Graeme Frisque is a reporter for Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach him via email: gfrisque@metroland.com

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