Niagara-on-the-Lake’s automated speed camera on Niagara Stone Road has faced repeated vandalism — and while Niagara Regional Police confirm no charges have been laid, the Niagara Region says it reported the series of incidents in July to police, the requirement for an investigation to begin.
The region did not confirm by press time whether incidents of vandalism that happened before July were reported, when reports were filed or how many there were.
Both the region and police say investigations only move forward when the property owner — in this case, the region — reports the damage.
Since the camera’s installation in May, The Lake Report has reported on the camera being cut down from its post on four occasions, with the last vandalism happening on July 7.
This month, it vanished from the site.
But police spokesperson Const. Rich Hingley confirmed that no charges have been laid.
Scott Fraser, the region’s associate director of transportation planning, explained when and why the region reports incidents.
“Minor incidents may not all result in filing a police report,” said Fraser in an email.
The region takes “the additional step of reporting vandalism” to the police, Fraser said, “based on the severity of the incident, cost of damage and whether public safety is affected.”
Or, “when there is physical damage to a unit or when repairs are expected to exceed two to three days.”
He said the region recognizes the impact on public safety — damaged cameras can cause altered driver behaviour, like speeding up, and cut wires may pose a hazard.
When it comes to cost and its role in deciding whether to report, Fraser said, “There isn’t a specific dollar threshold for reporting.”
He said all vandalism, regardless of whether it is reported to the police or not, is reported to the camera vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems (Canada) Limited, which installs and maintains the cameras and handles repairs.
The region “treats all instances of vandalism seriously,” said Fraser.
After the fourth act of vandalism at the Crossroads Public School camera in July, the region said it was moving forward with a new measure: the use of closed-circuit television.
Fraser said the CCTV’s installation is expected to be completed this month.
When asked whether vandalism to regional property, such as a speed camera, would go uninvestigated by police if the region didn’t file a report, Hingley said, “That is correct.”
“If the owner of a property does not wish to make a report of damage to their property, then a report would not be on file,” he said.
If officers observed the damage themselves, they would contact the region — the investigation would stop if the region chose not to proceed, he said.
The region takes this approach “to effectively deter and manage vandalism while conserving police and regional resources,” Fraser said.
As it stands, the camera’s post — cut down more than half its original size — is empty.
The camera remains out of service, though the region said it’s still on this season’s enforcement schedule and expected to return before the program ends later this month.
