Teaming-up to help fight crime

Developers and Moreton Bay City Council have joined forces to fight crime and strengthen public safety at new housing estates.

The partnership has already been set up with three developers bringing 15 new CCTV cameras to residential areas of Waraba.

It enables Council to reduce installation costs and help developments at risk of crime and anti-social behaviour due to unoccupied homes and construction sites.

The partnership model builds on City of Moreton Bay’s 2080 CCTV cameras – one of the largest local government networks in Queensland.

Lennium Group (Lilywood Landings) was first to partner with Council after starting discussions about a new approach to CCTV. Stockland (Rivermont) and Orchard Property Group (Aire Lilywood) followed shortly afterwards.

Developers provide CCTV infrastructure including power supply, while Council covers camera and network installation, configuration and management. The project has grant funding from the Australian Government.

“Residents deserve to feel secure in their own homes and in public spaces, which is why Council is making CCTV a priority across the City, including in our newest housing areas,” Mayor Peter Flannery said.

“By working with developers to share the cost of CCTV, we can ensure public safety infrastructure is installed at the earliest opportunity and for a fraction of a cost to ratepayers.

“Most importantly, it will improve community safety by deterring crime including vandalism, illegal dumping and anti-social behaviour.”

City of Moreton Bay was the first council to provide Vehicle of Interest alerts to the Queensland Police Service through Licence Plate Recognition Units.

The licence plate recognition technology is embedded in around 50 mobile CCTV cameras that can be deployed across the City.

This helps tackle a range of issues such as dangerous driving, break-ins or theft. Last financial year 10,795 real-time alerts were sent to police.

According to police data, just over 950 reported offences were for unlawful use of a motor vehicle in City of Moreton Bay in 2024/25.

That was approximately 17.5 per cent down on the previous financial year and less than most other policing areas in South-East Queensland.

The figure for the 2025/26 financial year up until late May was just under 900 offences.

“When it comes to public safety, the community has an important role to play,” Mayor Flannery said. “We encourage people to report crime to police so they can investigate and enforce the law.”