CCTV helping to fight crime across region
CLOSED circuit television cameras are proving an indispensible tool in the fight against crime and antisocial behaviour in New Forest towns.
Three towns - Lymington, Ringwood and Totton - plus the Forest's capital, the busy village of Lyndhurst, have cameras linked into New Forest District Council's CCTV monitoring centre at its Appletree Court headquarters.
And it looks likely that New Milton and Hythe will soon be joining the CCTV club.
Meanwhile, New Forest district's Chief Insp Gary Cooper has come down in favour of mobile CCTV cameras.
"In many cases fixed cameras have limited coverage and the activity moves onto areas not covered by CCTV," he said.
"There has got to be a balance between a perception of state intrusion on members of the public going about their business, set against an intelligence-led project to safeguard communities.
"The monitoring, capture, storage and security of such material held within these systems will have to come at the cost to the communities.
"This in turn has to be weighted against the positive aspects of such a system.
"One of the benefits of mobile cameras is that they can be targeted in areas experiencing problems and moved once the problem ceases."
During December, CCTV monitored 83 incidents in Lymington, Ringwood, Totton and Lyndhurst.
In Lymington, incidents witnessed by the CCTV team included a woman who was seriously injured when she fell from a wall, hitting her neck on a kerbstone.
Another incident caught on camera involved two men who attacked a drunken man outside Lymington's Fusion Inn.
CCTV footage led to two arrests in Belmore Lane.
In Ringwood, the monitors picked up an argument outside a late-night eatery in the Market Place which escalated into a brawl. The group dispersed 15 minutes later when police from outside the area arrived at the scene.
In another incident in Ringwood, video footage led to the arrest of a man who breached an Asbo by vandalising a bicycle.
1:00pm Saturday 1st March 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Mike Pickering, Bournemouth on 6:24pm Sat 1 Mar 08
A broken bike and 2 fights...is is really worth having someone else watch everything anyone does without their permission ?
No, it is not.
[quote]There has got to be a balance between a perception of state intrusion on members of the public going about their business, set against an intelligence-led project to safeguard communities.[/quote]
Yes - that balance is NO CAMERAS, PROPER POLICING.
A broken bike and 2 fights...is is really worth having someone else watch everything anyone does without their permission ?
No, it is not.
There has got to be a balance between a perception of state intrusion on members of the public going about their business, set against an intelligence-led project to safeguard communities.
Yes - that balance is NO CAMERAS, PROPER POLICING.
Posted by: 2Much, New Forest on 12:00pm Sun 2 Mar 08
The problem with the New Forest, is that the police are spread over such a huge area, and society as it is today, they are over-stretched. Cameras will not prevent crime, as by the time the purp has been snapped (in a dodgy looking pic that could quite honestly look like anybody) and police arrive, they've gone and that's that. All these towns have police stations, they should all be manned by police and police available should anything arise. You need a copper in Ringwood..they have to come back from Lyndhurst, you need a copper in Brockenhurst, they will probably have to travel from Bransgore...it's ludicrous...get more cop shops manned by cops in their own area and sod the cameras.
The problem with the New Forest, is that the police are spread over such a huge area, and society as it is today, they are over-stretched. Cameras will not prevent crime, as by the time the purp has been snapped (in a dodgy looking pic that could quite honestly look like anybody) and police arrive, they've gone and that's that. All these towns have police stations, they should all be manned by police and police available should anything arise. You need a copper in Ringwood..they have to come back from Lyndhurst, you need a copper in Brockenhurst, they will probably have to travel from Bransgore...it's ludicrous...get more cop shops manned by cops in their own area and sod the cameras.
Posted by: Echoispoo, Poole on 2:05pm Sun 2 Mar 08
CCTV combined with good police patrols is the answer. I feel safer knowing that the town I live in has CCTV. CCTV should not be a substitute for police patrols. If they cant spare real coppers how about getting some specials to walk the beat. They are free.
CCTV combined with good police patrols is the answer. I feel safer knowing that the town I live in has CCTV. CCTV should not be a substitute for police patrols. If they cant spare real coppers how about getting some specials to walk the beat. They are free.
Posted by: Dave, Poole on 5:49pm Sun 2 Mar 08
For your information, Specials are real coppers - they have full police powers across England and Wales.
If you're that concerned about it, why don't you apply?
For your information, Specials are real coppers - they have full police powers across England and Wales.
If you're that concerned about it, why don't you apply?
Posted by: sisyphus, Newtown on 5:03pm Mon 3 Mar 08
What's the point of this press release article? It's to promote the special power of mobile cameras to deter and detect crime. Chief Insp Cooper will get all the fancy new cameras he wants, paid for by extra local taxes, freeing real life detectives to catch up with their paper trails, attend gender awareness and religious minorities rights training courses, go on the sick and have more time for those lucrative second jobs.
What's the point of this press release article? It's to promote the special power of mobile cameras to deter and detect crime. Chief Insp Cooper will get all the fancy new cameras he wants, paid for by extra local taxes, freeing real life detectives to catch up with their paper trails, attend gender awareness and religious minorities rights training courses, go on the sick and have more time for those lucrative second jobs.
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
