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| VITAL: CCTV is making a difference, say police |
NOT only is Big Brother watching you but it will nick you too.
Figures released by police in Bournemouth have revealed that town centre CCTV cameras have played a part in solving 277 crimes this year.
From incidents of criminal damage and public order to allegations of indecent assault, the town's new big budget CCTV system is helping police fight and solve crime.
Police chiefs in London claimed that investment in CCTV cameras to prevent crime has failed to have a significant impact and use of CCTV images for court evidence has so far been very poor.
But figures for Bournemouth paint a very different picture.
Dorset Police's CCTV liaison officer Martyn Webster said CCTV footage from Bournemouth played a part in bringing charges in 62 crimes last month (April). CCTV evidence was included in bringing charges in 27 incidents of public order, 12 assaults, eight criminal damage and two indecent assaults.
It assisted in charges being brought in 86 cases in March, 76 in February and 53 in January.
Martyn Webster said: "We have cameras in places we didn't have before. It's much more extensive because of the investment the council has put into it.
"CCTV plays a very important part in solving crime. Some- times it is a very small part, other times we are making arrests purely because of what our cameras have told us."
| “CCTV plays a very important part in solving crime. Some- times it is a very small part, other times we are making arrests purely because of what our cameras have told us.” | | Dorset Police’s CCTV liaison officer Martyn Webster |
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He said last month an alleged offender was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault as a direct result of CCTV evidence collected after the victim contacted the police. Officers managed to look through the CCTV footage and track the alleged offender to his home address. The case is now going through the courts.
Mr Webster believes CCTV cameras also stop incidents from escalating.
"All the key places in the town are covered. At the moment if we get an incident outside a club or pub we can get on it straight away. We have excellent CCTV operators who alert the police and we can nip it in the bud. If we didn't have it I am quite sure these incidents could get out of hand."
The new CCTV system in Bournemouth - which has cost £1.9m to upgrade over the past three years - is still being installed and will see 137 high-definition cameras monitoring the town centre, seafront and Boscombe. There are also plans to expand it into Charminster and Winton.
Each camera's footage is stored for 31 days at eight frames per second - requireing the memory storage space of 90,000 home computers.
7:00am Wednesday 7th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: HAL101, Bournemouth on 8:24am Wed 7 May 08
CCTV has proven its worth. What excellent news and very reassuring for the law abiding citizen.
It is odd that it has not been effective in London.
CCTV has proven its worth. What excellent news and very reassuring for the law abiding citizen.
It is odd that it has not been effective in London.
Posted by: GeoffS, Bournemouth on 8:39am Wed 7 May 08
But CCTV is clearly not deterring crime, surely more prominent signage and even screens on the streets showing what's going on, and highlights of offenders being caught would deter further crime
But CCTV is clearly not deterring crime, surely more prominent signage and even screens on the streets showing what's going on, and highlights of offenders being caught would deter further crime
Posted by: derek, dorset on 8:46am Wed 7 May 08
It just relocates it.
Posted by: HAL101, Bournemouth on 10:33am Wed 7 May 08
[quote][bold]derek[/bold] wrote:
It just relocates it. [/quote] Good point!
derek wrote:
It just relocates it.
Good point!
Posted by: fedupwithjobsworths, Moordown on 10:46am Wed 7 May 08
Whats the point of using CCTV to "nick" people if the courts fail to lock them up?
I'm sure [bold]CCTV + prison[/bold] would prove a deterrent
Whats the point of using CCTV to "nick" people if the courts fail to lock them up?
I'm sure
CCTV + prison would prove a deterrent
Posted by: PokesdownMark, Pokesdown on 11:58am Wed 7 May 08
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful.
Why should video of public areas not be made public?
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful.
Why should video of public areas not be made public?
Posted by: michael carpenter, BOSCOMBE on 12:11pm Wed 7 May 08
THE CCTV ARE ONLY ANY GOOD IF THEY ARE MANNED! AND THE COUNCIL DOES NOT ALWAYS HAVE THEM SWITCHED ON AND WITH OPERATORS WATCHING THEM.
THE CCTV ARE ONLY ANY GOOD IF THEY ARE MANNED! AND THE COUNCIL DOES NOT ALWAYS HAVE THEM SWITCHED ON AND WITH OPERATORS WATCHING THEM.
Posted by: Carl Barron, Dorset on 12:47pm Wed 7 May 08
Posted by: PokesdownMark, Pokesdown on 11:58am today
[bold]Quote [/bold] I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publicly accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful,
[bold]Reply [/bold] Good point [bold]Mark[/bold] .
All [bold]Public Areas[/bold] with CCTV should have links to the Internet. If the public see any thing that's wrong, they could save the evidence and assist the Police with thier enquires. It's common sense, something British [bold]Bureaucrats never seem to have.[/bold]
[bold]Quote [/bold] HAL101, It is odd that it has not been effective in London.
[bold]Reply [/bold] [italic]Not really surprising HAl[/italic] . They probably never clean the lenses [bold]in that filthy Town.[/bold]
Posted by: PokesdownMark, Pokesdown on 11:58am today
Quote I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publicly accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful,
Reply Good point
Mark .
All
Public Areas with CCTV should have links to the Internet. If the public see any thing that's wrong, they could save the evidence and assist the Police with thier enquires. It's common sense, something British
Bureaucrats never seem to have.
Quote HAL101, It is odd that it has not been effective in London.
Reply Not really surprising HAl . They probably never clean the lenses
in that filthy Town.
Posted by: Badger, Poole on 3:15pm Wed 7 May 08
[quote][bold]PokesdownMark[/bold] wrote:
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful. Why should video of public areas not be made public? [/quote] Don't be silly, the yobs would just use it as a public broadcast version of youtube! I can just imagine all the idiots showing off so that everyone can see them!
...and I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes! lets face it, if the 'Old Bill' cant do anything useful with street CCTV then what good will it do for Joe Public to watch it!!
PokesdownMark wrote:
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful. Why should video of public areas not be made public?
Don't be silly, the yobs would just use it as a public broadcast version of youtube! I can just imagine all the idiots showing off so that everyone can see them!
...and I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes! lets face it, if the 'Old Bill' cant do anything useful with street CCTV then what good will it do for Joe Public to watch it!!
Posted by: PETE WOODLEY on 3:17pm Wed 7 May 08
[quote][bold]Badger[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]PokesdownMark[/bold] wrote:
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful. Why should video of public areas not be made public? [/quote] Don't be silly, the yobs would just use it as a public broadcast version of youtube! I can just imagine all the idiots showing off so that everyone can see them!
...and I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes! lets face it, if the 'Old Bill' cant do anything useful with street CCTV then what good will it do for Joe Public to watch it!![/quote] Welcome back Badger.
Badger wrote:
PokesdownMark wrote:
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful. Why should video of public areas not be made public?
Don't be silly, the yobs would just use it as a public broadcast version of youtube! I can just imagine all the idiots showing off so that everyone can see them!
...and I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes! lets face it, if the 'Old Bill' cant do anything useful with street CCTV then what good will it do for Joe Public to watch it!!
Welcome back Badger.
Posted by: PETE WOODLEY on 3:17pm Wed 7 May 08
[quote][bold]Badger[/bold] wrote:
[quote][bold]PokesdownMark[/bold] wrote:
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful. Why should video of public areas not be made public? [/quote] Don't be silly, the yobs would just use it as a public broadcast version of youtube! I can just imagine all the idiots showing off so that everyone can see them!
...and I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes! lets face it, if the 'Old Bill' cant do anything useful with street CCTV then what good will it do for Joe Public to watch it!![/quote] Welcome back Badger.
Badger wrote:
PokesdownMark wrote:
I think all the live CCTV feeds should be publically accessible. This would improve deterance and also be useful. Why should video of public areas not be made public?
Don't be silly, the yobs would just use it as a public broadcast version of youtube! I can just imagine all the idiots showing off so that everyone can see them!
...and I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes! lets face it, if the 'Old Bill' cant do anything useful with street CCTV then what good will it do for Joe Public to watch it!!
Welcome back Badger.
Posted by: AndyC, Bournemouth on 3:32pm Wed 7 May 08
Actually it is a good idea.
There was a case a couple of years ago when someone in the US was looking at a web cam in Liverpool, saw robbers in action, and contacted the police who actually acted and caught them.
Actually it is a good idea.
There was a case a couple of years ago when someone in the US was looking at a web cam in Liverpool, saw robbers in action, and contacted the police who actually acted and caught them.
Posted by: PokesdownMark, Pokesdown on 4:08pm Wed 7 May 08
[quote]I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes[/quote]
it would not be compulsory... unless you fail to pay your council tax. Bonus points for using "I for one" though.
Not sure yobs would be that bothered to stand by a CCTV and wave for their friends. There are already webcams that provide them this pleasure. An excellent (fast update) cam covers surf conditions at Boscombe. So its not really a new idea for that to be a concern.
I for one have better things to do with my time than stand about watching people commit crimes
it would not be compulsory... unless you fail to pay your council tax. Bonus points for using "I for one" though.
Not sure yobs would be that bothered to stand by a CCTV and wave for their friends. There are already webcams that provide them this pleasure. An excellent (fast update) cam covers surf conditions at Boscombe. So its not really a new idea for that to be a concern.
Posted by: MIG, Poole on 7:35pm Wed 7 May 08
The words 'played a part in bringing charges' and 'assisted in charges being brought' are used in Martyn Webster's quote.
It occurs to me that before we had CCTV many of these crimes & offences would have been charged anyway, but "now that we've got it then we must use it and prove that it is being used"
The manner in which offences are nowadays investigated and prosecuted seems to assume that there WILL BE CCTV evidence to back it up.
Yes, I will accept that in some cases it is useful and in a very few cases it is indispensable, but I would suggest that in most of those cases listed the 'CCTV box' was ticked on the stats form because someone viewed a tape.
The words 'played a part in bringing charges' and 'assisted in charges being brought' are used in Martyn Webster's quote.
It occurs to me that before we had CCTV many of these crimes & offences would have been charged anyway, but "now that we've got it then we must use it and prove that it is being used"
The manner in which offences are nowadays investigated and prosecuted seems to assume that there WILL BE CCTV evidence to back it up.
Yes, I will accept that in some cases it is useful and in a very few cases it is indispensable, but I would suggest that in most of those cases listed the 'CCTV box' was ticked on the stats form because someone viewed a tape.
Posted by: Munkstar, Bournemouth on 10:52am Thu 8 May 08
1/ This story is about the inability to manage the data. 2/ The prison population is a creaking point so how can you say the courts dont lock them up? 3/ If only the Tories had not invented council tax.
1/ This story is about the inability to manage the data. 2/ The prison population is a creaking point so how can you say the courts dont lock them up? 3/ If only the Tories had not invented council tax.
Posted by: knocker, christchurch on 2:34pm Sat 10 May 08
Yes Munkstar they should have stayed with individual local taxation. It should be accepted that the Police are a recording service who shut doors after the event!.
Yes Munkstar they should have stayed with individual local taxation. It should be accepted that the Police are a recording service who shut doors after the event!.
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