Review of CCTV service in Dyfed-Powys in the offing

The cost of the review would be split between the councils and the force

Three councils have been asked to help fund a review of CCTV provision to tackle crime in the Dyfed-Powys area.

The area's police and crime commissioner has written to Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire councils outlining the proposal.

The move follows Ceredigion council's decision to pull the plug on 23 cameras in the county to save £150,000.

The three councils have been asked to comment.

Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon said the police and the local authorities would benefit from a "more consistent" provision of CCTV to tackle crime.

He added that the cost of the review would be split between the councils and the force.

"This does not, of course, presume such a split of any actual future provision," he said.

Different technology

The review aims to look at:

• The current level of provision

• Existing evidence of the effectiveness of CCTV and its deployment

• The potential for improved or different technology to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour

• Opportunities for more flexible (including mobile) monitoring arrangements

• Short-term options for greater consistency and flexibility in current systems

Powys council has not been asked to help fund the scoping exercise because it does not pay for CCTV provision.

Pembrokeshire council's funds its own service, with contributions from the police.

Carmarthenshire funds CCTV with contributions from the former Community Safety Fund.

Officers made 414 arrests with the help of evidence from CCTV footage in the county between April and December 2013 - a 61% increase for the same period the previous year.

Carmarthenshire council's assistant chief executive Chris Burns said: "We are all under financial pressure and welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the police and crime commissioner and neighbouring local authorities.

"We are looking forward to taking part in this review as technology has moved on and it's timely to look at it."

Ceredigion council had employed one supervisor and two operators to monitor the 23 town centre surveillance cameras in the county.

Decision

But last month the local authority decided to stop funding the service in a move to save £150,000 as part of its aim to save £9.6m during the next financial year.

The police will stop manning the cameras in April unless the five town councils which use the service agree to fund the system.

Cardigan, Aberaeron and New Quay town councils have already declined to take responsibility for the service.

Aberystwyth and Lampeter councils are set to make a decision on the plan next week.

Cardigan town and county councillor, Catrin Miles said: "The town council decided not to pay for the town's cameras because it would have cost us about £22,000 next year with no-one monitoring the cameras."

New Quay town and county councillor, Gill Hopley said: "We decided not to fund the cameras because they never worked very well and many businesses now have their own surveillance cameras."