Cullompton Town

Audit Report 2003/04

The present system of seven cameras covers the town’s main street from Exeter Hill to High Street. Six cameras were installed at the end of March 2001 and came into operation from 1st April 2001, the funding for these was provided by the Home Office. An additional camera was installed in April 2003 to improve coverage of High Street. The funding for this was provided by the Mid Devon Community Safety Partnership.

Aim

To provide a means of assisting with the detection, deterrence and prevention of crime in Cullompton town centre.

Key Objectives

• To reduce and eventually eradicate incidences of vandalism and criminal damage in Cullompton town centre
• To improve general security in the town centre both in terms of personal safety and the security of buildings and premises
• Assist in traffic management, particularly with unauthorised parking and dangerous vehicle manoeuvres

To-date the system has not been used to assist with traffic management.

Recorded crime

It is difficult to compare crime figures from year to year but crime in the town’s main streets has increased slightly over the previous year.

Recorded crime figures are as follows:

NOTE: Some incidents will incur multiple crime reports so the number of incidents will be lower than the number of recorded crimes

Between 1st April 2003 and 31 st March 2004 the police viewed tapes on 33 occasions and seized 95 tapes for evidential purposes.

Complaints

There have been no recorded complaints relating to the system during 2003/04

Running & Maintenance

Two people are employed on a job share, they work 7 days per week, 365 days per year to change tapes. Their wages, plus the cost of insurance, maintenance agreement and purchase of tapes etc. are paid by the town council through the Council Tax. The total cost of running the system in 2003/04 was £5783.99 There are approximately 3,300 houses in Cullompton and so the cost is less than £2 per household per year.

Evaluation

Crime has increased slightly, over the previous year, in the main streets. There could be a variety of reasons for this but there is a need to monitor what is happening in order that cameras are positioned to cover “hotspot” areas.

The system does not provide comprehensive coverage as it is not always possible to identify individuals and car registration numbers. However the police consider it a useful resource as they can often pinpoint the time of the offence and gain an indication of who the perpetrator might be. There have been several prosecutions as a result of information obtained from the system.

It cost approximately £22,000 to install and although it does have limitations it provides a ‘feeling’ of security to people and is an additional resource for the police in both the prevention and detection of crime. At less than £2 per household per year it provides good value.