Public asked to have their say on the funding of CCTV in Berwick

Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council has funded the provision of CCTV in the town centre since 2015. It is a substantial item of spending each year.

A section of the local authority’s October newsletter explains that the cameras are linked to the police station, where there is a bank of screens and some video recorders.

There is also a control panel in the station that lets someone sitting at the desk control some of the cameras.

The newsletter adds: “There isn’t any evidence available as to how effective CCTV is in preventing or detecting crime.

“We’ve asked Northumbria Police to let us have any evidence they’ve got, but none has been forthcoming. We’ve asked the Police and Crime Commissioner why they don’t fund the provision of CCTV as a central part of the funding of the police. They referred us back to the police.

“In some areas, CCTV is funded by upper tier authorities (the same level as Northumberland County Council); in other places it’s funded by retailers, or landlords, or by partnerships around specific areas of economic activity.

“In Berwick, we only have the town council funding CCTV, and we have no evidence that it’s having any impact. We think those are good enough reasons to be having a conversation with local residents about whether CCTV in the town centre is working and should be paid for by the residents of all of the town, or by a broader mix of sponsors and partners.

“Email us with your thoughts at [email protected]”