There are new eyes watching you in the Queen and Bathurst area.
Toronto Police installed a number of closed-circuit cameras along and around the Queen West strip in an effort to curb crime. The electronic monitoring began Thursday and will continue for the next six months.
The cameras used in this project are the same devices authorities installed in 51 Division on various spots along Dundas Street East over the past six months.
Whether the electronic eyes remind you of Big Brother or make you feel safer, police say they conducted plenty of research and community consultations before they decided to go ahead with these projects.
The cameras aren't hidden and are clearly marked with the Toronto Police logo. Signage has also been posted around the neighbourhood to let people know they are being watched.
"The cameras have two purposes: deter those who may be considering committing crime and provide evidence to identify, arrest and charge those who choose to commit crime," Deputy Chief Kim Derry said in a statement.
"We are mindful there are privacy concerns with respect to CCTV cameras. Those concerns are important to us and we have worked, and will continue to work, very closely with government agencies and community groups to ensure that, as we continue to use CCTV to protect public safety, our policies reflect those concerns."
For more information on the CCTV program,
click here.