Plans to stop monitoring live CCTV challenged by Welshpool Council
Police plans to stop monitoring live CCTV cameras after a report found there is "little evidence" they deter crime have been challenged by a town council.
Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon said he is looking to put more police on the streets rather than monitor cameras after concerns about their effectiveness.
However, Welshpool Town Council, which operates 16 cameras throughout the town, said its system worked well and produced clear images used by police.
Robert Robinson, town clerk, said: "The Welshpool CCTV system produces high quality images and is used by the police regularly. The police have full access.
"The system records 24 hours a day and images are kept for months and can be called up at any time. There are 16 cameras covering the town centre, country park, Motte and Bailey, Maes y Dre Recreation Grounds as well as other areas."
The CCTV report for Dyfed-Powys was ordered by Mr Salmon, who said: "We must spend every pound where it delivers. I'm giving the public what they ask me for – more bobbies on the beat.
"We created 30 new police officer posts for Dyfed-Powys this year. Next year there'll be tens of thousands of extra hours on the beat thanks to new IT."
Instrom Security Consultants, which carried out the report, found the removal of council CCTV cameras did not result in a significant rise in crime or anti-social behaviour.
The report said there was "little evidence that CCTV deters crime, in particular violent and alcohol-related incidents".
There was also "no case to support the active monitoring of public CCTV in Dyfed-Powys" and it said many existing public CCTV systems could not produce images acceptable in court.
Dyfed-Powys Police records showed that 1.5 per cent of case files used publicly controlled CCTV evidence over a year and 2.2 per cent used evidence from private systems.
The commissioner has recommended that funding is withdrawn for active monitoring of the cameras by April but plans to keep the situation under review.
and consider any technological developments such as mobile CCTV.
West Mercia police and crime commissioner Bill Longmore said he was also more positive about the use of CCTV.
