The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
The new CCTV system in South Holland has led to eight arrests in Spalding in the past three months.
However, there is not such good news about the seven cameras in Holbeach and Crowland, which have so far been unable to transmit images to the 24/7 monitoring suite in Boston.
Contractors are looking at “alternative transmission options” to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
The situation is a frustration for Coun Gary Taylor, South Holland District Council’s portfolio holder for community development, who is pleased with the results from the Spalding cameras, which have been operational since last summer.
On Monday he said: “Between December 1 and now, the new system has led to eight direct arrests and helped with 41 additional incidents such as robbery, theft, drink-driving, anti-social behaviour, missing persons and concern for welfare.
“They are good results. We’ll be looking to expand the system and make more use of it.
“There is also money in the budget for mobile cameras, which could be used in covert locations.”
Three further cameras are due to be installed in Spalding this month, taking the total to 18.
Until the transmission problem with the four cameras in Holbeach and the three in Crowland is resolved, images can be viewed locally and are being recorded.
The district council is currently withholding some of the payment to the contractor until the issue is sorted.
Meanwhile, Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge have so far resisted encouragement from the district council to link up to the £108,000 scheme. Long Sutton Parish Council has wanted assurances about the quality of images and Sutton Bridge Parish Council was unhappy about police response times.
Long Sutton has recently been the subject of a spate of burglaries and with Sutton Bridge being an entry point to the county, it is felt one of the benefits of cameras there would be to track incidents coming across the border.
The only cost to parish councils is the annual maintenance charge, which for a small number of cameras is about £3,000.
Coun Taylor hopes to see both towns join the district-wide scheme in due course, insisting that it was a small price to pay for the benefits.
“For £3,000, it seems worth it,” he said. “CCTV cameras are not only good for spotting crime, they are a tool for crime prevention too.
“They also improve general wellbeing – residents feel safer knowing that there is the security of cameras.”
He also urged South Holland residents to report all crime and anti-social behaviour issues to police by calling 101, so that a clear log of potential hotspots can be built up. Resources could then be targeted.
“We’ve done our bit by getting the cameras and the police will take action by being the eyes and ears,” he said. “If they can demonstrate there’s a need in a certain area, [resources] can be moved from other parts of the county.”
