Mobile CCTV installed at a Newport park to tackle anti-social behaviour

Working with Telford & Wrekin Council, Newport Town Council have secured mobile CCTV at the car park of Victoria Park.

Councillors have received reports recently regarding anti-social behaviour in the town, especially in park areas, and Norbroom Park, on Vineyard Road, was vandalised with graffiti in June.

Newport councillor Thomas Janke said the council had listened to people's reports and acted on it, hoping to tackle the issue head on.

He said: "I am delighted that the council have taken actions at our request to put CCTV in place. It will enable residents to feel safer in the knowledge that we are listening to them and trying our best to tackle anti-social behaviour in our park areas and recreational areas.

"This is one step in our wider scheme to tackle it in the town. Their complaints haven't just fallen on deaf ears, we have listened.

"From the £35,000 improvements to the high street CCTV, linking it with the main police hub, to installing mobile CCTV we are making strides. It's there as a preventative measure."

Fellow Newport councillor Peter Scott said people had been complaining of anti-social behaviour late at night in Victoria Park, with people gathering well into the early hours of the morning.

He said: "It's at around 1am, so it's a bit of a nuisance. Then we had a couple of fire extinguishers set off and thrown into the basin. We just don't need that.

"As a council in Newport, we pay for extra enforcement so we just made use of that and requested mobile CCTV in that area. It will be especially good for over the summer.

"I have certainly had an awful lot of complaints about Norbroom Park as well but we need a power source there to install CCTV so I have been talking to the borough council about getting solar panels.

"The CCTV in town will hopefully act as a deterrent. It's a positive really and shows Newport Town Council are doing their best in terms of working against anti-social behaviour.

"People should always report incidents to the police anyway but if they can report with details on the times of incidents, it means its quicker to track it on the CCTV."