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2,000 arrests thanks to CCTV
A Mobile Police CCTV van which has backed up the static street cameras
THOUSANDS of crimes have been caught on camera in Scarborough – leading to 2,000 arrests in just three years.
The importance to crime-fighters of the borough’s 66 closed circuit television cameras, which are operated from a control room in a secret location in Scarborough, has been revealed after new figures were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
The cost of running Scarborough Council’s multi-functional emergency control centre, where the camera operators are based, has also been made public.
More than £2.5 million was spent on costs including wages, equipment and maintenance in three years and the figure is rising - at a time when other council departments are having their budgets slashed.
Tony Quinn, Scarborough’s safer neighbourhood inspector, said that the introduction of CCTV ranked alongside the use of DNA as one of the most important developments for policing in the modern era.
He said: “I really can’t imagine policing without it. If anything, the figures underestimate the assistance it gives us in Scarborough.
“It is used when officers first get to hear about an incident, so they know what they are going to, it’s used at the incident for the safety of the public and the officers and afterwards, when it regularly helps the investigation and is used as vital evidence at court.
“There’s often talk where people say it’s not doing what it’s supposed to, but that’s rubbish. We couldn’t do our jobs without it. It also deters criminals and bullies if they know they’re being watched.”
Insp Quinn also paid tribute to the council’s team of 10 CCTV operators, who receive information from the police as well as licensees, doormen and security staff in shops at their control centre.
“We have a fantastic working relationship,” he said. “I hear the operators on the radio every day and I know they don’t just see it as a job, they’re committed to contributing to the welfare of Scarborough.
“It’s worth a lot more than the money it actually costs.”
The control centre and its high-tech cameras, which are monitored 24-hours-a-day, also focus on traffic flows and major events in Scarborough, such as the William Street Fair and shows at the Open Air Theatre.
Two new cameras which are to be installed in Barrowcliff are set to go live imminently - the first outside the town centre.
Included in Scarborough’s closed-circuit camera arsenal are 10 mobile devices, which are deployed in areas for three months, 54 permanent cameras and two building surveillance cameras.
The 2,000 arrests which were made in the Scarborough area thanks to the CCTV came between November 2008 and last month.
Footage from the cameras have been used in several high-profile court cases, including the murder trials of Ricky Gelardo in October last year and John Stamford last month.
The images, which showed the men in the hours before they murdered their victims, helped officers build cases which sent the pair to prison for a combined minimum of 33 years.
Cllr Janet Jefferson, who sits on Scarborough’s CCTV working group, said: “The cameras are vital to the welfare of Scarborough and the detection and apprehension of criminals.
“The digital footage is superb quality - I would like to see more of them.”
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Comments
There are 5 comments to this article
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FUZZYWUZZYWASACOWBOY
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 09:00 AMWith all the cameras in Scarborough and they could not tell me who drove into my car causing alot of damage. Probably because its not worth there while.
A different bloke in the pub
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 06:37 PM2,000 arrest at a cost of £2,500,000, that's £1,250 each. Good value? Once again, I notice there are no figures available for how many of the 2,000 were charged or found guilty. £2.5 million could have bought us an awful lot of policemen.
MiggyP
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 05:24 PMThe young woman in the CCTV image reading a Scarborough Evening News was someone from their editorial department, showing how good the CCTV was. I am in agreement with TSbnp - there can't be enough CCTV cameras as far as I am concerned. If they stop crime, or at least are able to catch the criminals - then they have my vote, and as you say No 2, if you've done nothing wrong, then why moan?
TSnf
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 05:10 PMIf the CCTVs help catch and prosecute criminal scum, then that can only be a good thing, and after all, if you aren't doing anything wring, then there should be nothing to fear. But why was it necessary to publish an image from a CCTV of a young woman, reading her paper? Is she wanted for a crime??!!
Crossgates View
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 12:38 PMAll very good news, but I wonder what the breakdown of the 2000 cases is by type of crime. In particular I wonder if they are used to spot motorists using hand held mobiles and going through red lights; both common sports in this town.
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