Round-the-clock cameras would leave criminals nowhere to hide
CCTV in South Hollands town centres could be monitored 24-hours-a-day, as it is in this Peterborough control room.
CRIMINALS could soon find there’s nowhere to hide in South Holland’s town centres if plans go ahead to monitor CCTV cameras 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
At the moment cameras feed footage to a control room at Spalding Police Station which is manned by volunteers.
However, South Holland District Council is in the process of looking at ways to improve the service by having round-the-clock surveillance not dependent on volunteers.
Options include joining forces with neighbouring councils such as Boston Borough to provide a 24-hour monitoring centre or buying in the service from a private company.
In both cases it is possible the CCTV cameras in the district’s town centres including Spalding, Long Sutton and Holbeach could be upgraded to ones that rotate and are able to follow moving targets, which could mean fewer are needed to cover a wider area.
Coun Nick Worth, who is working on the project, said: “We have had a company from Derbyshire give us a quote for CCTV cameras that can be monitored 24/7 as opposed to now where they are monitored by volunteers.
“I went a couple of months ago and looked at one of their monitoring facilities in Thetford. Because it’s web-based they can monitor the cameras from anywhere in the country, or from a laptop computer, but they have told us that our current cameras are not good enough so now we are getting other quotes.
“This could involve with working with neighbouring authorities such as Boston, which has already said it is keen to work with others to help save costs.”
Coun Worth said he is now working on putting his findings in a report which will be presented to South Holland District Council’s cabinet within the next couple of months.
In the meantime Boston Borough Council is looking at changing its CCTV service to help slash £70,000 from its budget.
The council will discuss whether it can take on the monitoring of two other districts’ cameras for a fee, or pay to have its 72 cameras monitored elsewhere.
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Weather for Spalding
Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 8 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
CampaigningForSpalding
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 10:36 PM#4 - Absolutely. The figures on CCTV for this Country are astonishing. I'd encourage anyone to do their own research before putting any faith in such schemes. State owned CCTV exists for one reason and one reason only and reducing crime isn't it.
ysandy
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 10:12 PMI should'nt think that would deter the migrants. THATS the problem send them back.
4030bing
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 04:00 PM24 hour cctv is an excellent idea providing the police are available to act immediately on the trivial acts like drinking in an alcohol free zone (town), only by confiscating the drink their and then and hitting the offenders pocket will you have any effect on them, rather than just monitoring these people for their behaviour. The laws need to be enforced the more folks get away with the more brazen they become. That's why town is like it is now.
janec1951
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:28 PMThere are two points here. Which would cost more over a year.The new cameras plus 24 hour monitoring or two police officers on the beat 24 hours a day, and which would be the most effective in stopping the crime and anti social behavior which is rife in the town at the moment. I think the answer to that is obvious. Something needs to be done. It's just a question of what is more important to the towns people who will be paying the bill, cost or effectiveness.
LittleTyke
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 04:11 PMI'd like to know just how many crimes or episodes of anti-social behaviour all these cameras have actually detected. Back in 2008 a detective chief inspector at the Met said: "It's been an utter fiasco: only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV. There's no fear of CCTV." (Source: national Guardian newspaper) I think councillors like CCTV because it makes them look like they're doing something, when the money could be far better spent on recruiting more police officers.
ourtownsdead
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 02:27 PMwith the amount of shop lifting in the town centre, street drinking and other anti social behaviour then it has to be a good thing if we can have the proper system in place. what the town also needs in more clarification on the so called no drinking zones !!! time this was well and truly looked and and stricter control of stopping it. after all..every local you talk to has had enough of the mess and seeing daylight public peeing. saying that..has anyone been fined yet for it ??? some pathetic sign near the poacher pub stating no drinking in this area yet every day we see it happening. so come on lincs police...use the powers you have and stop it !!!! few cameras might help...but using your noddle for once would be a bonus :)
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:18 PMI presume that the round the clock cameras will be to replace round the clock policing that was once the norm.
choppy
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:28 AMIt would be quite the reverse for what the goverment is trying to encourage, by saving taxpayers money in these hard times and having volunteers do certain things instead.
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