Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wants to use CCTV camera technology in Peel Region’s fight against violent crime and gang activity.

Brown tabled a successful motion seconded by Vice Chair Ron Chatha at a Peel Police Service Board meeting Friday to work with the Ontario government for approval and funding to install closed-circuit TV cameras along and around Highways 410 and 403 in Brampton and Mississauga.

The motion follows a similar move in Toronto in August after the province agreed to provide $3 million in funding to boost the CCTV network in that city after an uptick in shootings and gang activity on recent years.

“Being a Safe City is a core priority for our city council and we will continue to focus on providing the necessary resources to keep Brampton a safe city to live, work and play,” said the mayor in a Saturday news release.

Brown was referring to a spat of shootings and other violent crimes in and around those two main corridors running through Brampton and Mississauga in recent months.

Share your thoughts:

The most recent occurred last Tuesday when a man was killed and two others injured in a drive-by shooting on Highway 410, near Derry Road.

On Sept. 16, one man was killed and another injured after an early morning shooting involving moving vehicles on Highway 410, near Sandalwood Parkway, in Brampton.

The decision earlier this year in Toronto wasn’t without its critics, with some like Brampton North MPP Kevin Yarde and York South-Weston MPP Faisal Hassan questioning the effectiveness of CCTV cameras in combating the problem while believing the money can be better spent on other community focused initiatives.

“We were disappointed that (Premier) Doug Ford’s announcement on gun violence again included only tools that could help after a shooting,” the two NDP MPPs said in a joint statement on Aug. 23.

“The real work of stopping gun and gang violence starts before kids join gangs, not after heartbreaking and devastating shootings tear families apart and take lives,” added the statement.

However, Brown disagrees and believes CCTV cameras will not only help Peel police catch criminals but will also serve as a deterrent.

“The recent targeted gang shootings on the 410 have in part been due to the lack of cameras and the quick ability to vacate the scene. We can’t permit blind spots like this that gangs are obviously taking advantage of,” added the mayor’s statement.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

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

Read more about: