Broken CCTV cameras leave businesses vulnerable, say firms

One councillor said about 70% of the city's CCTV cameras were not working

Wakefield Council has been accused of putting public safety at risk after it was revealed many of the local authority’s CCTV cameras were out of action.

Angry business owners hit by a wave of burglaries said the lack of security cameras in the city centre had left them vulnerable.

The council confirmed that there had been an “issue” with some cameras since October.

Urgent talks have been called for after businesses were repeatedly burgled during a city centre crime spree.

Business owner Antony De Csernatony, whose cafe and bar KRA:FT was broken into on 30 January, said he had previously raised the issue with the council.

“I can’t believe as a city we do not have security cameras in place. It really is quite scary," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Are crimes being missed and going undetected because of this?"

Violet Ruszczynska, owner of Havana Tanning Spa, had the windows of her shop smashed during an apparent attempted break-in at her premises on Cross Street earlier this month.

Windows at Havana Tanning Spa were smashed during an alleged attempted break-in

Her business CCTV cameras were used by police to find the person responsible, but she said the council cameras should be fixed to "protect people".

“People don’t feel safe knowing the cameras are not working. What are we paying our business rates and council tax for?"

Meanwhile, Hakan Kalkan’s Turkish restaurant, Sofira, on Northgate, has been broken into seven times since 2021, costing him around £20,000, he said.

“I have asked time and time again for an explanation why the CCTV camera on Northgate is not working and I still don’t know what is going on," he said.

“It is not deterring people from committing crime.”

Hakan Kalkan said several break-ins had cost him thousands of pounds in the last two years

Labour MP for Wakefield Simon Lightwood has called a town hall meeting with police and council chiefs over the concerns.

Nick Farmer, Tory councillor for Ossett, called the situation "appalling" after raising the issue last summer.

In July, he told a council meeting about 70% of the district's cameras were not working.

Glynn Humphries, from Wakefield Council, said it was aware of the issue but was unable to fix the fault.

“We have identified a new provider and are working with them to make sure we provide a much more reliable system as quickly as we can."

A temporary solution was being looked at while a new digital camera system was being sourced, he added.

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