Northern Ireland

Derry CCTV upgrade will assist river rescue services

CCTV cameras in action.
CCTV cameras in action. CCTV cameras in action.

A MAJOR upgrade of CCTV systems in Derry will help rescue services in the battle to prevent suicides, it has been claimed.

The overhaul has extended camera cover to the city’s river front from Craigavon Bridge to the Foyle Bridge.

It has also increased coverage throughout the city to 24 hours per day.

Derry city centre manager Jim Roddy said it would be used for a wide range of services, including searches for missing people, locating homeless people and river rescues.

Among the organisations which use CCTV is the Foyle Search and Rescue group which patrols the banks of the river and the city’s two bridges and provides emergency response to rescue people who fall or jump into the Foyle.

CCTV is also used by Derry’s community safety wardens, police and other emergency services.

A spokesman for Foyle Search and Rescue said the new system would be an invaluable resource along the river front.