Private Businesses Pushing for CCTV Coverage

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Private Businesses Pushing for CCTV Coverage

Two local councils at the opposite ends of England have this week taken contrasting decisions regarding their CCTV networks – but the end result for private enterprise has turned out the same. Businesses in both the north and south of the country will be looking to enhance security around their properties with increased CCTV coverage in the coming months.

Cumbria council vetoes CCTV installation

Councilors from the sleepy town of Keswick in Cumbria voted against the installation of an urban network of CCTV cameras, claiming they would come at too costly a price and were not necessary.

With three units being priced at around £47,000 plus running costs, Allerdale council decided not to pursue the project, citing the fact that crime had decreased by 50% from 2016 and that the majority of incidents were concentrated around retail and commercial stores.

“Frankly, there’s more crime in Noddy annuals than there is in Keswick,” argued Councillor Paul Titley. “I think it’s a complete waste of money. We should bin it immediately. It’s £50,000 to solve a problem we haven’t got and probably never had.”

Speaking rather more diplomatically, fellow councilor Andrew Lysser went on to say: “This was really instigated by incidents that are happening in shops rather than on the street. Perhaps it’s a good opportunity to go back to the shopkeepers and say there’s really no alternative to you putting CCTV in your own shops.”

Pub landlords push for Salisbury CCTV

Meanwhile, in the south of the country, pub landlords are up in the arms due to the delay in reactivating the local CCTV network in Salisbury. The last system was disabled in August 2016 after Wiltshire Council sold the control room for the surveillance apparatus to private developers in order to raise funds.

Despite being promised that a replacement £500,000 fibre-optic network would be in place by Christmas, angry local business owners were this week told that the upgrade would not occur before the summer. As such, the businessmen (especially pub landlords) believe they will be left without any societal protection against crime for the best part of a year and have launched an online petition in an attempt to spur the council into action.

“At a time where the government are cutting back on police numbers and rarely do we get a ‘Bobby on the beat’ it is unacceptable for the CCTV, the protection and support the system provides, to be a pawn in a game of county and local council chess,” says a statement on the petition site.

The project is now earmarked for completion in June of this year.

Safeguard your own estate

Whether you’re a concerned business proprietor or just a conscientious homeowner, the need to secure your property is universal. At Blackburn Alarms, we have a whole host of intruder alerts, CCTV security cameras, and access control systems to increase safety and give you peace of mind. To find out more about how we can help secure your home or workplace, get in touch with us today.

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