Combating anti-social behaviour and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
26/02/2018 15:58:00.......Posted by Robert Ward
We are fortunate that Selsdon and Addington Village is a generally low crime area. You can find statistics for the current Selsdon and Ballards ward here. However, we need to remain vigilant and respond to changing circumstances. At a recent Selsdon and Ballards Police Ward Panel meeting the issue of anti-social behaviour was raised. There was a concern that the changing character of our High Streets, with more fast food outlets replacing traditional shops, might bring with it an increase in anti-social behaviour. CCTV was suggested as a possible measure to help the situation. I have since done some research. The Council maintains a network of cameras linked to a central control room in Thornton Heath. The cameras are primarily on the main roads, in the town centre and some of the district centres. There are currently none in Selsdon. Fixed cameras are expensive, both to install and maintain; consequently, none have been installed for many years. The council does however have some redeployable cameras that can be moved around to deal with specific issues. A re-deployable camera could be used in Selsdon but there are strict requirements which must be met for that to happen. We would need clear evidence of need and a privacy impact assessment would need to be made. The possibility of using CCTV installed by local shops has been mentioned. These may by law only be used to monitor the building and its immediate surroundings. Although the police would ask to access any evidence stored on this equipment in the event of a specific incident, they may not be used for public space surveillance. We are some way from a situation serious enough for CCTV surveillance so I would encourage people to report anti-social behaviour. This will help with evidence gathering should we ever need to consider installing cameras and it may be that the matter can be tackled by other means so we never get to a situation where CCTV even needs considering. I hope this helps.
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