Limerick representatives united in urgent need for CCTV funding

MAYOR John Moran has reiterated the call for a dedicated funding stream from Government to support the expansion and enhancement of public...

MAYOR John Moran has reiterated the call for a dedicated funding stream from Government to support the expansion and enhancement of public CCTV infrastructure across Limerick.

This comes after Council members last week reached a unanimous decision to write to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Minister for Housing and Local Government James Browne on financing Limerick’s CCTV system.

Heading into 2027, Limerick Council is faced with a €660,000 shortfall to keep CCTV cameras turned on across the county.

The 367 authorised CCTV cameras currently in operation across Limerick, including 353 approved by the Garda Commissioner, are now at real risk.

With 242 of these cameras live-monitored within Regeneration areas, serious safety and security concerns have been raised by Council members about their potential loss.

Limerick’s executive mayor once again called on Government to provide the necessary financial resources to enable Limerick to invest in, expand, and maintain CCTV systems across the county, recognising the important role such infrastructure plays in supporting public safety, deterring anti-social behaviour, and assisting law enforcement agencies.

Mayor John Moran believes that the unanimous decision reached by Council demonstrates the importance elected members place on community safety and crime prevention.

“CCTV has proven to be an important tool in helping to deter criminal activity, support investigations, and provide reassurance to local communities,” the Mayor pointed out.

“Last year I stepped up and plugged the funding gap when ministers asked for time to develop a permanent solution. Now it is time for the Government to step up to their responsibilities. That is why we are now asking Government to partner with us by providing dedicated funding that will allow Limerick to further develop this vital infrastructure,” he insisted.

Council Príomh Chomhairleoir, Cllr Tom Ruddle, touched on how Council members – from across the political divide – spoke with one voice in recognising the value of CCTV in supporting safer communities.

“As our city and county continue to grow, it is important that local authorities have access to the resources needed to respond to public safety challenges. We are therefore urging both ministers to give favourable consideration to this request and to provide the funding necessary to support CCTV investment in Limerick,” the Fine Gael man said.

The Mayor and Príomh Chomhairleoir noted that local authorities continue to play an increasingly important role in supporting community wellbeing and public safety and that investment in CCTV infrastructure can deliver significant benefits for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

They expressed their hope that the Government will now respond positively to the Council’s request and work with Limerick Council to ensure that appropriate funding mechanisms are established to support the continued rollout and enhancement of CCTV systems throughout Limerick.

The Limerick Post contacted the Department of Housing, who have been providing funding to Limerick Council to support the cost of operating CCTV in the city as part of the Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan, for comment on the funding shortfall.

“This funding was committed to at the time on a ‘seed funding’ basis – it has been winding down since 2024, and will conclude after 2027.

“Limerick City and County Council is currently pursuing a more appropriate and sustainable funding alternative, including locally with An Garda Síochána, which is the primary user of the CCTV,” a Department spokesperson explained.

Councillors were of the strong view at last week’s meeting that it is the Department of Justice that should now be funding Limerick’s CCTV systems. They went as far as urging the Justice Minister to “wake up” and find the €660,000 shortfall for next year.

The Council also issued a warning to Minister Jim O’Callaghan on the potential “human cost” of losing security cameras across Limerick.

“A lot of money has been spent across the city over the years to stitch back the fabric of society because of criminality, severe anti-social behaviour, and so on. €660,000 is nothing compared to the cost of what Regeneration has had to spend just to keep communities together and to stop murders happening. It is as simple as that,” Independent councillor Maria Donoghue commented.

Sinn Féin councillor Sharon Benson, who called last week’s special meeting, demanded that a sustainable source of funding be identified to futureproof Limerick’s CCTV system, and save jobs.

“We can’t lose these cameras for the safety and security of Limerick going forward. It’s also important to remember why we have these cameras – it was born out of absolute necessity,” Cllr Benson declared.

Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan took the view that Limerick is being punished for being a success story in developing one of the country’s first Garda and Community Networks.

“This is designed to protect people and make our communities safer. What we have in Limerick is working and it’s working really effectively,” she said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Catherine Slattery said that the monitoring centre in Moyross is absolutely essential for the safety of Limerick’s citizens and providing invaluable assistance to An Garda Siochána in preventing and detecting crime.

“Furthermore, if this centre loses its funding, local jobs will also be lost. We simply cannot allow that to happen. Therefore, I am asking the Mayor to directly contact the Government through the Limerick Mayoral and Government Consultative Forum,” Cllr Slattery demanded.

“Mayor, I feel, as Mayor of Limerick, that you need to be shouting from the rooftops for this funding from the Government. With your social media platform and with all the media you got for Summer in the City, I feel that this needs to be done for this CCTV as well. We need to secure both immediate and long-term funding for the centre by utilising the Mayor’s direct line to Government ministers,” she added.

Limerick’s CCTV system is currently comprised of 120 community cameras on the northside of the city. Regeneration-funded, these are live-monitored with 44 serving a dual purpose for Gardaí and illegal dumping.

A further 120 live-monitored cameras serve the city’s southside, again, with 44 providing a dual purpose for Gardaí and illegal dumping. A total of 22 Council-funded cameras are operational along the canal and riverbank for recording and evidential purposes, with a further 89 Council-funded cameras in the hinterlands, with the same objective.

Labour Party TD Conor Sheehan this week asked Government and the Justice Minister if they really want to plunge the people of Limerick into the hands of potential criminality over €600,000. He also called on Minister O’Callaghan to immediately increase the Garda budget to fund CCTV.

“I have raised this in the Dáil numerous occasions since my election in December 2024 with Minister O’Callaghan, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Unfortunately, the Government have completely ignored what essentially amounts to increasing the Garda budget by what amounts to essentially a rounding error in order to allow An Garda Siochána to fund the CCTV network from their operating budget sustainably into the future,” Deputy Sheehan commented.

“The CCTV system was funded by the Social Intervention Fund from the Department of Housing, which is now being withdrawn, last year Mayor John Moran allocated €440,000 from his mayoral fund to allow the service to be continued but that is not a permanent solution.

“I am sick and tired of banging my head off a wall in relation to this. Unless the Government and the Minister step in, the live monitoring CCTV cameras will have to be turned off and the staff who operate the cameras will have to be left go,” he warned.

Deputy Sheehan believes that there is no point in allocating any additional Gardaí to Limerick unless the future of the CCTV system is secured.

“You might as well blindfold and tie one hand behind their back,” he said.

“We all know that the CCTV scheme was put in place because of a violent and dangerous feud, we also know that it has a 70 per cent prosecution rate and was instrumental in solving many crimes over the years including the murder of Rose Hanrahan in Thomondgate.

“Vital CCTV schemes have been approved for communities such as Garryowen and for the Castletroy Greenway and both schemes are on hold because of this ongoing impasse.

“Limerick City and County Council have given the Minister and the Department a cost-effective solution and a plan to sustain the CCTV into the future, in fact the funding ask first went in at the end of 2024 and they have been repeatedly stonewalled. The Minister must step in and engage with the Council on this and fund this before the end of the year.”

When contacted for comment, Fianna Fail TD Willie O’Dea said that he is completely committed to the CCTV hub in Moyross. He considers it crucial that the system is kept operational in order to prevent and detect crime in various parts of Limerick.

“I approached the Minister for Justice, and his Department say it’s a matter for Housing. When I approached them, they say it’s a matter for Justice,” he disclosed.

“Last year a solution was found by accessing some of the Mayor’s fund. I am informed that the Mayor feels he won’t be permitted to do that this year. If that’s the case, I will talk to the Minister for Housing to ensure that the Mayor is allowed to spend any unused mayoral funds again this year to ensure that the CCTV cameras are kept operational.

“In the long run, we need a dedicated funding stream for the CCTV and that’s what I will be seeking,” Deputy O’Dea added.

Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan has also called on the Government to urgently secure the future of the CCTV monitoring system based in Moyross, describing it as a vital crime-fighting resource serving communities across Limerick.

Deputy Quinlivan has consistently raised concerns about the future funding of the system, which operates a network of more than more than 350 cameras covering Limerick city and county and provides important support to An Garda Síochána.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government, and Heritage in June, Deputy Quinlivan stressed that the system should not be viewed simply as a Moyross initiative.

“They do not just cover the Regeneration areas but the whole city and county. It gives succour and security to people, not just in the Regeneration areas,” he said at the time.

Deputy Quinlivan this week urged the Government to recognise the contribution the CCTV network makes to policing and crime prevention. He also took the view that the responsibility for its long-term funding cannot continue to fall solely on Limerick Council.

“Some Government Department has to intervene and that clearly has to be the Department of Justice. There has to be some intervention to secure that camera room in Moyross.”

He also pointed to the value of the system to An Garda Síochána, arguing that the CCTV network provides an additional policing resource and assists with criminal investigations.

“It is saving the Department of Justice huge sums because more Gardaí would be needed if we did not have those cameras. Funding these cameras is a no-brainer,” the Limerick TD added.

Deputy Quinlivan has raised the issue repeatedly over recent years, including at the Limerick Joint Policing Committee, where he highlighted the role CCTV can play in preventing anti-social behaviour, detecting crime and providing evidence to Gardaí.

“The issue comes at a time when communities across Limerick continue to have serious concerns about organised crime, drug dealing, especially crack cocaine, criminal damage and violence.

“It makes no sense for the State to allow an established crime-fighting resource, and workers employed to face uncertainty over the future of the CCTV. The Government needs to act. This is not simply about Moyross. This is about communities across Limerick city and county.”

He continued: “The CCTV network provides an additional layer of protection to people and communities, assists An Garda Síochána in their work and can and had provided vital evidence when crimes are being investigated. At a time when people are rightly demanding action on crime, when some communities feel abandoned with lack of Garda members on the ground, we cannot allow a vital resource like this to be put at risk.

“The Department of Justice needs to sit down with Limerick City and County Council and put sustainable, long-term funding in place. We need certainty for the workers operating the system and, most importantly, certainty for the communities who depend on it.

“The people of Limerick deserve to feel safe in their homes and communities. CCTV is not a substitute for properly resourced Gardaí, but it is an important part of the overall response to crime and public safety. The Government needs to recognise that and secure the future of the Moyross monitoring centre, to ensure the jobs of those who work there and the communities they support by having this CCTV system retained.”

There was no response from the Department of Justice at the time of going to print.