Limerick CCTV system faces funding shortfall as council urges Government action

Limerick City and County Council says funding cuts could leave the CCTV service facing a €660,000 shortfall in 2027

The local council operates 353 community CCTV cameras across four schemes authorised by the Garda Commissioner. Picture: Denis Minihane.

The Government has been urged to fund the CCTV system in Limerick, which has supported thousands of Garda investigations, with a warning that the “consequences will rest” with the Government if public safety is endangered.

Limerick mayor John Moran and príomh chomhairleoir Tom Ruddle have written a letter to housing minister James Browne following a special council meeting at which councillors unanimously backed a request for more funding for CCTV.

The letter, seen by the Irish Examiner, calls for continued multi-year Government funding for the CCTV system in Limerick.

In the letter, Mr Moran and Mr Ruddle point out that it was announced in 2023 that funding would be progressively withdrawn for the service, leading to the council maintaining the service.

To secure the service in 2026, Mr Moran allocated €440,000 from his mayoral fund, matching the department’s confirmed contribution of €440,210.

The letter indicates that a meeting took place in November 2025 between Mr Browne and the Limerick mayor, where it was agreed that a dedicated working group would be established to develop a sustainable long-term funding solution to the CCTV service.

“As a result, the temporary funding arrangement put in place in 2026 is now approaching its end without the agreed mechanism having been activated to identify and implement a permanent funding model. This makes it all the more urgent that a solution is offered to resolve the position for 2027 and beyond,” the letter read.

CCTV supports Garda investigations

The local council operates 353 community CCTV cameras across four schemes authorised by the Garda Commissioner. Of these, 242 are located in Regeneration areas, with approximately 240 cameras monitored live through the Moyross CCTV Monitoring Centre.

The remaining 111 cameras provide recorded footage and evidential retrieval across both the city and county.

According to the letter, a review of activity over a four-year period found that the monitoring centre provided 40,399 hours of footage for garda investigations.

“During the same period, CCTV supported investigations into 3,746 of the 5,279 serious incidents recorded in monitored areas. In 2026, requests for footage are 85 per cent higher than at the same point in 2025, coinciding with an increase in reported serious crime and feud-related activity across Limerick city and county,” the letter said.

Mr Moran and Mr Ruddle said that if the service was lost, Garda members would be taken from frontline policing to carry out work currently supported by the CCTV infrastructure.

“Investigations and prosecutions would take longer, placing additional pressure on the Courts Service and the wider criminal justice system. The early detection and prevention benefits provided by live monitoring would also be lost, delaying the critical early stages of investigations.” 

Funding shortfall

As it stands, the service costs approximately €1.21m per year. In 2027, the local council will continue to provide €330,000, while DHLGH funding will be reduced to €220,105.

This will leave the service with just €550,105 against the annual operating cost, creating a shortfall of approximately €660,000.

In 2028, the Government funding will end, and the annual shortfall will increase to approximately €880,000.

Meanwhile, Limerick City and County Council is also seeking €200,000 for "critical CCTV hardware replacements" to maintain the service and support future operations.

“Limerick City and County Council and An Garda Siochéna stand united in their determination to protect this essential public safety service, with the unanimous support of all elected members of the Council,” read the letter.

“Failure to secure that commitment will endanger public safety, remove Garda resources from frontline policing, delay criminal investigations and prosecutions, and place further pressure on the administration of justice. Responsibility for those consequences will rest with Government,” it said.