Council CCTV operators have assisted Wellington Police to make two arrests in the Courtenay Place area in recent months.
Police say that in the early hours of Sunday 28 January, officers were alerted by Council CCTV camera operators, after a man was seen standing over another person, demanding the person hand him their gold chain.
“As officers made their way to the scene, they were further advised the offender had been sighted with a knife, and there was a second person alongside him,” said Senior Sergeant Hamish Knight.
The two men involved were tracked with the assistance of the CCTV operator and Police located them a short time later on the corner of Courtenay Place and Allen Street.
“They were subsequently arrested, with a large kitchen knife located on one person, and the second person found to be carrying the stolen chain,” said Snr Sgt Knight.
“The man who took the chain was dealt with via alternate resolution methods.”
This comes after another arrest was made in early December, where a person was located in possession of a firearm on Courtenay Place in the early hours of the morning.
“Just after 4am a CCTV operator witnessed a physical altercation on Alpha Street where a person was in possession of a firearm. He was then tracked with the assistance of the CCTV operator to Tory Street where Police located him,” said Snr Sgt Knight.
“He was arrested and was found to be in possession of a firearm, rounds of ammunition, and drug utensils.”
He is due to appear in the Wellington District Court on 15 March.
“CCTV operators are an invaluable service to both us and the community. They detect a wide range of incidents from medical events to lost property.”
“With both of these incidents occurring in a popular area in times where there are a lot of people around, these arrests have been able to prevent a potentially serious incident occurring.
“The ability to track these people assisted Police in ensuring dangerous weapons were taken out of the hands of people who may have had intentions to cause harm,” said Snr Sgt Knight.
