A NUMBER of questions in respect of CCTV in Harlow shopping precincts were asked at last weeks council meeting.

Colin Thorpe to Councillor Joel Charles (Portfolio Holder for Community and Business Resilience):

In the light of recent crime both in the Stow and Prentice Place CCTV footage should have been available. I have been informed by one resident after the theft of a motor bike from Prentice Place that the police were awaiting release of CCTV footage from the Council.

In Prentice Place cameras are facing to the ground so giving no overall view. The question asked is does the CCTV work in both the Stow and Prentice Place?

Reply from Councillor Joel Charles (Portfolio Holder for Community and Business Resilience):

The Council continues to use CCTV because it is proven that it deters people from using certain areas for anti-social and criminal activities.

The Council is committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime. In the new Community Safety Strategy for the town, the Council is clear that CCTV provision is a tool to assist in the identification of perpetrators of crime and can help to increase the number of successful prosecutions through the criminal justice system.

I can confirm that all the CCTV cameras at The Stow are fully operational – officers have made sure to check this is the case. All council-run CCTV cameras are checked regularly as part of a routine maintenance cycle.

The installation of the CCTV at Prentice Place was intended to be a temporary solution to monitor the refurbishment works that took place as part of the regeneration programme in response to the vandalism that was taking place at the site whilst the works were ongoing. As part of the works, security doors were also installed to reassure residents that access to certain areas of Prentice Place would be managed. The CCTV system is not currently operational as its specific purpose was to act as a building site deterrent. However, housing officers and the property and facilities team are reviewing the CCTV provision at Prentice Place to determine what is the most proportionate solution to meet ongoing monitoring needs.