A pilot project that put 13 police surveillance cameras across the city will come to an end on Dec. 31, prompting an evaluation into the camera's effectiveness.
While Toronto Police spokesperson Mark Pugash isn't specifically calling the project a success, he says surveillance cameras are becoming increasingly useful.
"It's not enough to work on anecdotal evidence," Pugash told CP24. "But I can tell you that CCTV footage and stills are now one of the first things that detectives look at in their investigation, and they have proved extremely useful in quite a number of cases, particularly a number of homicides."
One example was the shooting death of North York teen Abdikarim Abdikarim. The suspect in the case was caught on tape firing a gun, and an arrest was later made.
However, police have made no arrests in connection with the death of 18-year-old William Junior Appiah, who's alleged shooters were caught on tape.
All of the cameras have been removed, with the exception of those in the city's Entertainment District.
The results of the $2 million pilot will now be reviewed by the police services board and the province, which helped fund the project.
"We're taking a very hard and a very close look at the pilot's (cameras) we've had in effect," Pugash says.
He also says some communities have asked to have police surveillance cameras set up.
