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CCTV CRIME VANS SET TO BE SCRAPPED
Summer youth violence fears as mobile deterrent is hit by budget cuts
BUDGET cuts have forced Westminster City Council to scrap one of its biggest weapons in the war on youth violence sparking fears of a summer crimewave.
The decision to decommission the council’s only CCTV vans to make a saving of £120,000 has been roundly condemned by opposition leaders and MP Karen Buck, amid fears that the predicted hot summer could lead to a surge in youth disorder.
It comes after police publically admitted to facing a “problem” with postcode gangs, and were heavily criticised by the country’s senior policing watchdog, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
The move appears to mark a sea change in the council’s attitude towards CCTV – with what was once seen as a catch-all solution now apparently expendable.
Defending the cuts, City Hall says that keeping the two vans, which are shared with the police and have been available around the clock for the past three years, is too expensive.
Wireless CCTV cameras have been promised to plug the surveillance gap, but critics say they are no substitute for the immediacy and reassurance that the vans provided.
The decision, which was taken earlier this month by Councillor Daniel Astaire, cabinet member for community protection, went ahead without consultation.
MP for Regent’s Park and Kensington North Karen Buck said: “What is £120,000? That’s four civic dinners. Wireless cameras are completely different and don’t offer the same flexibility.
“The vans have been a very effective deterrent in the past. Within 24 hours they can be mobilised to crime hotspots and can be a better way of diffusing a potential situation or dispersing large groups of youths rather than sending in officers and stop and searching, which can be inflammatory and intrusive.
“Crime does go up when you have a long hot summer. We know that. The timing couldn’t be worse and we need to get a grip on these problems before that. What amazes me is that there’s been no discussion about this. It has just happened.”
Peter Russell, chairman of Westminster North Community Police Consultative Group, who has taken a ride in one of the vans, said: “The vans were invaluable. With the summer holidays around the corner it seems ill-advised. Naturally it comes down to money and I’m sure they look at it and say they don’t change the statistics, but you’ve got to ask how much crime do these CCTV vans these deter? The answer is probably quite a lot.”
In March, Detective Superintendent Peter Newman said the police were working on a new strategy to tackle the borough’s postcode gangs, associated with some of the large housing estates in Queen’s Park, Lisson Grove and Church Street.
A new surveillance committee is currently undertaking a review into how the council uses CCTV, with findings expected to be made public next month.
Councillor Daniel Astaire, cabinet member for community protection, said: “Staffing and running two CCTV vans was costing anything up to £120,000 a year depending on use and we think this money can be put to much better use elsewhere. We have a duty to spend taxpayers’ money prudently and we constantly review our expenditure.” |
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