Tory cuts risk crime wave by forcing councils to switch off CCTV – watchdog

‘The UK is having its CCTV cameras switched off by councils who can’t afford to keep them running, the government’s surveillance camera watchdog said, warning of a deterioration in crime-fighting standards amid the government’s biting austerity cuts.

For Tony Porter, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, this is an alarming development. Britain is one of the most heavily-dependent countries in the world on CCTVs’ ability to help police tackle street crime, with its 4-6 million cameras, according to The British Security Industry Association (BSIA).

Porter told The Independent that not only are select councils in England and Wales playing a “postcode lottery” in tackling serious crime, they are also threatening greater danger by cutting on training and hiring inexperienced camera operators, which often means inadequate training on legal issues as well.’

Read more: Tory cuts risk crime wave by forcing councils to switch off CCTV – watchdog