Clippings (Oct-Nov 1997)Clippings (Oct-Nov 1997)Andrew Robinson, Yorkshire Post (1/10/97)
A YORKSHIRE protest group opposed to closed circuit surveillance cameras has helped defeat plans for a CCTV system in the US.
The 1 in 12 Club, set up in the 1980s to help jobless people in Bradford, supplied information to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which helped defeat a camera scheme in Oakland, California.
The Oakland City Council public safety committee voted three to one to reject a proposed hi-tech pilot project to install video cameras. John Crew, lawyer for ACLU, praised the 1 in 12 Club for providing details of their own research into what effect CCTV, had on reducing crime.
ACLU came across the details on the club's web site on the Internet.
"At first people simply assumed that video surveillance would reduce crime and that there was no right of privacy in public places.
"Once they considered this issue more closely, however, they found otherwise." Oakland Police decided "there is no conclusive way to establish that the presence of video surveillance cameras resulted in the prevention or reduction of crime".
Tony Grogan, of the 1 in 12 Club, said Oakland Council took evidence and had a debate before installing cameras.
"In Bradford it's the other way round. The council still has no policy on CCTV and we can't get them to undertake a proper evaluation of the cameras already in place."
T&A 1/10/97
SIR - We note from your report on Bingley's "One-man crime wave" (T&A September 24) that Inspector Hancox is once again happy to provide the T&A with selective statistics in support of CCTV, yet he continues to refuse to make available full local crime figures to allow independent evaluation of his claims.
We were particularly surprised to see vehicle crime figures produced, when Inspector Hancox told me earlier this year ".. in view of the way these figures (vehicle crime) are obtained and the areas they cover, I do not think that these are valid".
If Inspector Hancox is confident that crime figures show the success of CCTV, then he should make the full figures available for independent scrutiny. After all, if he's nothing to hide, he's nothing to fear.
Tony Grogan (for the 1 in 12 club) Albion Street, Bradford.
by OLWEN VASEY City Hall Reporter (T&A 2/10/97)
Bradford residents are being given the opportunity to voice their opinion on the city's "spy in the sky" CCTV scheme.
A full review of the scheme has been promised by Bradford Council after it came under fire from a group claiming there is no evidence that closed circuit television cuts crime.
Bradford private members group, the One in 12 Club, of Albion Street, has campaigned against CCTV saying it is an infringement against civil liberties and does not reduce criminal activity. But today Councillor Jack Womersley said there was huge support for the system which means people are no longer in fear in the car parks and streets. He said the Council wanted to spend a further £300,000 by the year 2000 on CCTV, but would take into account the views of people across the district before doing so.
Coun Womersley said the views of the One in 12 club would also be examined.
The cash for the security cameras could come from assets such as the sale of the Vicar Lane car park to leisure developers.
It includes a close study of the 37 cameras around the city centre which are now outdated.
Councillor Womersley, deputy chairman of the Council's transportation, planning and design, said there would be a full review on the cameras, their effectiveness and positions.
He said a consultation meeting in Bradford South this week about CCTV and other things included in the community plan, of which the scheme is part, was resoundingly in favour of the cameras.
"I have been to more than 60 neighbourhood forums and 1 am sure it is the way forward," he said.
The One in 12 Club, which lobbied the Council's community safety committee last year in a bid to get a review of the cameras, today welcomed the consultation plans, but said it was still waiting to be convinced it would be independent and thorough.
Spokesman Matt Hannam said there had still been no national evaluation of the scheme, but claimed statistics showed it appeared to displace, rather than lessen, crime.
By Sarah Walsh (T&A 2/10/97)
Crime has been slashed by 30 per cent in Bingley - even though the number of police officers based in the town has been cut by a third. New figures released by Superintendent Steve Priestley who caused a public outcry by reorganising staffing, across the Keighley division, show that his unpopular changes have brought results.
Thousands signed a petition m the New Year to oppose his moves to reduce the number of police officers at Bingley police station. He insisted he needed to pull officers back to Keighley to work in new "proactive" teams, actively targeting known criminals and gathering intelligence. In the end, staffing at Bingley was cut from 24 to 16, although there were 34 officers based there 18 months ago.
The crime reduction has taken place across the whole of the Keighley police division.
Burglaries in the Bingley area including Denholme, Cullingworth, Cottingley, Crossflatts, Eldwick and Gilstead - fell by 28 per cent, with 77 fewer incidents. Thefts from motor vehicles fell by 28 per cent - there were 49 fewer crimes. Overall, the number of recorded crimes fell from 650 to 452 - a drop of 30 per cent.
Supt Priestley warned: "The challenge now is to sustain these improvements. What we have done is beef up the number of officers that are actively targeting the criminals, but we still provide a reactive service to deal with emergencies."
T&A 7/10/97
SIR - In the report relating to the "Spy in the sky cameras" (T&A, October 2) the One in 12 Club are again demonstrating that the only liberties the civil rights movement is interested in are those of the wrongdoer.
No-one whose sole interest is in the prevention of crime can do anything but applaud the erection of these cameras. Innocent, law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from them, and the number of criminals shown on television crimewatch programmes is surely evidence enough that there is a paramount need for more, not fewer of these devices.
It must be said that the civil liberties people are nothing more than a self-appointed collection of individuals whose opinions are no more valid than any Tom, Dick or Harry.
They should be afforded the same degree of respect that soap box orators in Hyde Park used to receive, namely listen to them and then forget what they have said.
Geoffrey Holmes, The Grove, Idle.
BY DAVID MARSH (YEP 7/10/97)
POLICE and council chiefs today heaped praise on Leeds's city centre closed circuit television system, which has led to nearly 200 arrests since its introduction.
The £400,000 Leedswatch scheme, which has 19 city centre cameras covering prime shopping areas and car parks, has been a huge success. And plans are already under to extend the system to the fast-developing waterfront
A recent study by Hull University questioned the value of CCTV. Researchers monitored 248 cameras in three cities and found that only about 20 arrests were made The study also suggested that camera operators were zooming in on attractive or scantily-clad women for 'voyeuristic reasons". However, a senior councillor and police chief in Leeds were keen to assure people that their system is effective and properly used.
They said Leedswatch had led directly to 191 arrests last year and in Chapeltown where the cameras went live in May, a further 11 arrests had been made. Offences include robbery, drugs wounding and burglaries.
A strict code of practice has also been drawn up to cover the operation of the cameras. It covers access, administration, monitoring and interviewing. The code was updated this year and is available at libraries and council offices.
Coun Paul Paley, the councils city centre committee chariman said. "The Hull University report was quite disparaging about the effectiveness of CCTV but in the case of Leedswatch we would dispute this. In car parks incidents of crime have virtually been eliminated."
Inspector Simon Ramsden of Millgarth police station's community safety unit, said: "CCTV as a crime prevention and crime detection measure has been extremely successful in Leeds, both in the city centre and in Chapeltown.
"Another bonus provided by CCTV is the crime prevention aspect. It is difficult to even calculate the number of offenders who have been deterred from committing a crime due to the presence of CCTV cameras.
Insp Ramsden added: "Couple that with the reassurance that CCTV provides to the public and it is obvious that the scheme is a huge asset to Leeds and one the police applaud and are delighted to support."
By Alun Palmer (T&A 23/10/97)
Police fear Bradford drug dens are being "armed" with CCTV cameras taken in a spate of thefts across the district. In the past fortnight six security cameras have been stolen in and around the Little Horton area of Bradford. And detectives believe drug dealers are hooking the cameras up at their homes to warn them when the police are on their way so they can dispose of their illegal wares.
But today a senior officer said the makeshift camera surveillance systems would be a waste of time for the criminals because when police raid a house they already have enough evidence for a conviction.
Three surveillance cameras have been stolen from offices in Little Horton Lane, Bradford, including a Bradford University site.
The others were stolen from lifts in the Hapsburg Court block of flats, in Manchester Road, Bradford. It is believed the latter thefts could also have been carried out to protect criminals as they burgle their way around the area. And one of the lift cameras caught the thief in action as he stole it - wearing a paper bag over his head.
Detective Inspector Phil Sedgwick, of Bradford Central CID, said: "It seems they are deliberately setting out to steal these cameras. But they are no good to use as family camcorders and are only good for surveillance.
"They may try to sell these cameras on to companies. Or they will set them up to protect their own homes especially if they are dealing in drugs.
"They think that they will be able to spot us coming and so dispose of any evidence. But before we raid a house we already have the evidence.
'Also, in a lot of the places where cameras are installed, there are covert cameras as well so the thieves will be photographed twice."
Det Insp Sedgwick appealed to anyone who sees these cameras set up outside flats or homes to contact his office on Bradford 376485 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
by SARAH WALSH (T&A 7/11/97)
Traders in Bingley are asking police to publish a "list of shame" of known burglars and shoplifters operating in the area.
Their call comes as the town centre has been hit by a fresh wave of breakins at commercial premises since October 18.
The shopkeepers - mostly independent, small businesses - have had to fork out thousands of pounds between them in repairs and security measures even though, in many cases, the amount of cash taken was minimal.
Businesses to have been hit include Dowlings Butchers in Chapel Lane; Bellissima hair salon, Main Street; the Little House charity's base in Market Street; and the Salvation Army charity shop, Myrtle Walk.
Traders in the Poplar House and Park Road areas are also understood to have been targeted.
Today, Inspector Jim Hancox, of Bingley police, said he would consider releasing a "list of shame" similar to that provided to local publicans to keep troublemakers out of the town centre pubs and clubs. And he urged traders to help themselves by not leaving cash on th premises at night, and displaying stickers advertising the town's CCTV system.
Philip Smith, chairman of the Bingley Traders Against Crime group, said: "Shopkeepers are just sick of it. It really does cause a lot of resentment. It's not what's taken, it's the damage that gets caused in the process.
"There's a call for some kind of 'list of shame', with photographs, to be released by the police, because traders would like to know what these people look like."
Inspector Hancox said: "Bingley has experienced a spate of shops being broken into overnight since October 18. A number of shops have been affected and small amounts of cash taken. A Poppy Collection tin was taken from one. We'd appeal to anyone seeing anything suspicious to dial 999. ,
"We'd rather have time wasted looking for someone who turns out to be genuine, than someone not bother to pick up the phone."
On the suggested "list of shame" he said "If we can do it for pubs, we can probably do it for shops, but we will have to think about it carefully because there are legal restrictions.
"Keighley has a Shopwatch scheme where traders and police exchange information which is beneficial to all parties."
(T&A 11/11/97)
BRADFORD: A 20-year-old man has appeared before Bradford Crown Court accused of stealing closed circuit television equipment.
Adrian Charlesworth, of Russell House, Queensbury, pleaded not guilty to stealing one CCTV camera worth £250 and a similar camera of unknown value.
Charlesworth also denied an allegation of supplying heroin and will have to stand trial on that matter on a date yet to be fixed. He was granted bail.
Guardian (26/11/97)
A COUNCIL which released to the media closed-circuit film of a man carrying a knife he had just used for a suicide attempt was acting within its powers, a High Court judge ruled yesterday.
In the absence of a privacy law, Mr Justice Harrison said he was unable to hold that Brentwood council in Essex was wrong in law, or acting irrationally, in releasing the film to BBC1's Crime Beat and other programmes.
Geoffery Peck, 42, a van driver of Brentwood, was filmed in August 1995 when he was depressed and had tried to slit his wrists with a knife. The judge said he had some sympathy for Mr Peck, who had suffered an invasion of privacy. Dismissing his application for judicial review, he said important lessons could be learned "from this unfortunate incident". - Clare Dyer
by HEATHER BISHOP (T&A 10/12/97)
Shipley's long-awaited closed-circuit TV cameras will be up and running in the town centre by February say campaigners.
Work will start in the New Year despite the scheme costing more than organisers first hoped.
And supporters have defended the cameras against criticisms from a group who claim they don't stop crime and are an invasion of privacy. Shipley town centre manager Bob Parker said the work was back on track.
"There have been a few delays but now it's looking very positive. The work has gone out to tender and we should be appointing a contractor fairly soon," he said.
"More than half the cash pledges from local businesses have come in and the first instalment of funds from the Home Office. The scheme was originally anticipated at costing £130,000 but now it will be around £140,000. We're confident we can find the shortfall so it shouldn't be a problem."
There were celebrations earlier this year when the town secured £58,000 of Government funding for the project. The rest of the cash has come from donations from businesses, Bradford Council and Metro. Five colour cameras will be installed around the town including two in Market Square, one in Wellcroft, Westgate and Fox's Corner, and they will be monitored by council staff in Keighley.
But members of Bradford's 1 in 12 club say they will campaign against CCTV in Shipley. They claim that the cameras simply divert the crime elsewhere and there is no evidence that they actually stop crime.
Club member Matt Hannam said: "It's a way of spying on everyone and there's no conclusive evidence that it actually works.
"We want a proper large-scale survey done in Shipley to show that people want this and evidence to show it is a deterrent. There is an unwillingness to question CCTV now."
But Councillor Tony Miller (Lab Shipley East) said they had answered the criticisms and the effect of the CCTV will be carefully monitored in the town.
"The majority of people surveyed said in terms of personal safety and safety for retailers, they were overwhelmingly in favour of CCTV" he said.
"It is unfortunate that we do need CCTV but 1 do believe that it will make a difference to the crime rate in Shipley.
"These people have criticised security cameras, but they have offered no alternatives to the problem. If people haven't got anything to hide they shouldn't have any objections to CCTY"
The Home Office has appointed an independent advisor to look at the effect of CCTV in the town. He will compare the present crime figures with the figures after the cameras have been installed. Shipley will then be looked at alongside Pudsey - a town similar in size but without CCTV.
Shipley Police Inspector Nigel Cawthorne said: "We are very pleased that the security cameras will be in place by February and we hope that will be achieved. It's really a case of the sooner the better. CCTV is a proven deterrent throughout the country."
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