More than 50 CCTV cameras to be decommissioned

Generic CCTV camera attached to a red brick wall.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

CCTV cameras are set to be decommissioned by the council

  • Published

More than 50 CCTV cameras will be decommissioned in a town centre, a council has said following a public consultation.

Eastleigh Borough Council said the system was expensive to maintain, increasingly outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

It has not confirmed when the cameras will be removed, and plans for 15 new cameras remain uncertain.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said she was "so disappointed" with the decision, and it was "absolutely the wrong thing to do".

Sukhdev Raj, who owns the RJS convenience store in the town centre, says he is "worried that antisocial behaviour will get worse" without CCTV.

He said: "I'm deeply disappointed that Eastleigh Borough Council decided in their infinite wisdom to decommission the cameras.

"It's an essential part of Eastleigh to deter criminal activity and to help keep people.

"It's already difficult to manage and this is going to lead to greater criminal activity.

"It will make the town an easier target to criminals."

Donna Jones looking at the camera has blonde hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a bright blue blouse and is standing to the side of a Police van.
Image caption,

PCC Donna Jones says this decision "will make Eastleigh a less safe place"

Ms Jones said CCTV had been "crucial in catching criminals" including a "very nasty homophobic attack and drug-related offences".

She said: "This is absolutely wrong and it will make Eastleigh a less safe place for the people that live there.

She said there maybe no legal requirement for the council to install cameras but "community safety is a mandatory statutory requirement for a local authority".

She added: "It's absolutely crucial to taking some very serious violent people off our streets.

"I'm really really disappointed, I know that this is going to make Eastleigh a less safe place than it is today once these cameras go off."

A spokesperson from Eastleigh Borough Council said: "CCTV is not a service that we're required to provide.

"The high level of expenditure to maintain an increasingly outdated system, that was no longer fit for purpose and was becoming less effective... was difficult to justify.

"We are working with key partners, such as the police, to develop better solutions that may still feature some level of more modern and effective CCTV provision."

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