Work has started on Ballina’s long-awaited CCTV network, just days after two knife-related incidents brought fresh concerns about serious crime in the town.

Deputy Mayor Damien Loone confirmed wiring and other infrastructure was now being installed in River Street after he sought an update from Council staff following Thursday’s council meeting.

“The rollout is underway now,” Cr Loone said.

“The infrastructure and wiring are going in and, while people might not see much happening yet, the work has started.”

The development comes four months after Ballina News Daily reported Council was pressing ahead with an expanded CCTV network following examples of existing cameras helping police investigations.

But its arrival has taken on greater significance after two incidents involving weapons last weekend.

A 22-year-old man suffered a serious leg wound in an alleged machete attack near Woolworths on River Street on Sunday night. Two people were later arrested and charged.

In a separate incident, police responded to reports of a man armed with a knife near Ballina Fair.

Cr Loone, a former police officer, said those events were on his mind when he sought an update on the cameras.

He described the alleged machete attack as a frightening development, pointing to the problems Melbourne has experienced with machete crime and expressing concern at seeing such weapons being used locally.

Number plate recognition part of network

Above: Deputy Mayor Damian Loone.

Main image: CCTV cameras recently installed and now linked to police in Coraki

The CCTV network will be progressively expanded and will include automatic number plate recognition technology.

Cr Loone said that could help police quickly identify vehicles of interest, including stolen vehicles, and potentially intervene before another offence occurred.

“If a stolen car is in Ballina or Lennox Head in the middle of the night, it gives police the chance to act quickly,” he said.

“Early intervention is early prevention.”

River Street will be a major focus because it is Ballina’s main thoroughfare and home to shops, pubs, clubs and other businesses.

Cr Loone said CCTV could help investigate assaults and robberies as well as malicious damage, smashed shop windows, vehicle incidents and other offences.

He said the cameras were not about having “Big Brother” watching people, but providing police with another tool to identify offenders and gather evidence.

“CCTV works. It gathers evidence for the prosecution of offenders and assists police in identifying those who offend against our community,” he said.

As a former police officer, Cr Loone said video could provide particularly powerful evidence when a matter reached court.

“When you can show a court what actually happened in real time, that is incredibly powerful evidence,” he said.

“A picture paints a thousand words.”

Ballina already has some Council-operated cameras, with their value demonstrated earlier this year when police used CCTV to help track the movements of an alleged wanted man before his arrest.

The expanded network will provide broader coverage, with cameras and associated infrastructure progressively added as the rollout continues.

Related: On the run: How Ballina CCTV helped track alleged wanted man