WEST Mercia Constabulary and Worcester City Council have defended the city's use of CCTV after its effectiveness as a crime-fighting tool was questioned by a senior policeman.
This week, Detective Chief Inspector Mike Neville, head of Scotland Yard's CCTV team, described London's use of spy cameras as "an utter fiasco", pointing out that only three per cent of the capital's street robberies are being solved using CCTV images.
Cameras have become a major part of the strategy to fight crime in Worcester city centre. They cost the council £140,000 a year to staff. The Conservative cabinet member in charge of safer and stronger communities, Francis Lankester, said he was sure Worcester's CCTV was having far more impact than in many other parts of the country. "The big problem is that 90 per cent of cameras in this country don't record pictures of evidential quality - they can't be used in court," he said. "However, over the years here in Worcester we have spent a lot of money turning ours into the metal mickeys' we have now, which do produce pictures of a good enough quality for the police to use in court."
The funding of Worcester's CCTV has been the cause of much controversy of late, with suggestions it will have to be cut back due to a row between police and council about who will pay for it. But Coun Lankester said he was certain Worcester's CCTV policy has the full backing of West Mercia Constabulary. "I know the police in Worcester are very, very keen to use CCTV in the city centre," Coun Lankester said.
He said the council currently does not have figures showing the effectiveness of its CCTV set-up, but that work was currently under way to investigate this issue. "I would be surprised if the figure was anything like that (three per cent) in Worcester," he said.
"Work is ongoing on this at the moment, but the fact is a great number of cameras elsewhere can't be used in court - 100 per cent of ours can."
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Acting Superintendent Ian Bailey of West Mercia Constabulary confirmed his force supports the use of cameras. "CCTV continues to play a key role in the policing of Worcester city," he said.
"It has substantial reassurance benefits as well as great practical operational value."
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