Crime deterrent or Big Brother? Downtown safety camera pilot draws mixed reactions
CTV
A proposed safety pilot project putting eyes in the sky in downtown Winnipeg is drawing skepticism, with some questioning whether the cameras would actually deter crime and worry about privacy.
A proposed safety pilot project putting eyes in the sky in downtown Winnipeg is drawing skepticism, with some questioning whether the cameras would actually deter crime and worry about privacy.
Cierra Giesbrecht says she doesn't feel safe downtown.
"I just moved back to Winnipeg and it's a nightmare," she said, adding she would like to see more eyes on the street. "I do think that it might help prevent crime."
That's the goal of the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, a group pushing for a pilot project that would see the installation of 10 to 20 surveillance cameras in downtown.
It's unclear when the cameras would go up, but the Downtown Community Safety Partnership hopes to get them up very soon. The group has been planning this since 2019, but like many other projects, it was put on the back burner because of the pandemic.
"We want to get people back downtown," said Greg Burnett, the executive director with the partnership. "We really want to energize a vibrant downtown, it's key in any city."
This comes after a string of violent crimes in the city.
