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Search for'Safe town' reviews spy cameras
Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 09:31
The town's own police boss Insp Paul Morgan told town councillors: "The crime figures do not justify that reaction now."
Over the last few months the town had been faced with high-profile crimes like the mugging of a pensioner in broad daylight in Totnes town centre, the knife-point mugging of two girl language students and a violent attack on a cyclist by a gang of youths.
But despite these incidents, the amount of public disorder in Totnes has actually fallen by a massive 33 per cent over the last six months, Insp Morgan revealed.
"Totnes is a safe town," he told the councillors.
Insp Morgan's comment, which he stressed was a personal viewpoint, comes as neighbouring Kingsbridge Town Council is looking at spending thousands on setting up CCTV across the whole town centre and monitoring it 24 hours a day.
Kingsbridge councillors have just agreed to conduct a one-week trial involving the Torbay monitoring centre which covers the whole of Torquay town centre.
The trial will use two existing cameras which cover Kingsbridge's town square along with the town library, the Age Concern complex and the town council's own Quay House HQ to sort out what sort of times the monitoring should go on for.
But the council wants to eventually install cameras covering the whole of Fore Street, Embankment Road and The Quay car park area.
It is estimated that the cost of installing cameras is around £2,000 a time while the cost of 24-hour monitoring is between £2,000 and £3,000 a year per camera.
Between April last year and March this year there were 619 crimes in Totnes town — down almost six per cent on the previous 12 months.
Violent crime in Totnes stood at 148 which is almost the same as the previous 12 months.
In Kingsbridge the total amount of crime over that time was 352 which was down 16 per cent on the previous year. Violent crime stood at just 78 which was down by almost 18 per cent.
Insp Morgan said that if Totnes did decide to opt for cameras, the police would assist the council in whatever way was possible.
But he warned Totnes town councillors: "Systems cost a hell of a lot of money to maintain. In a time of reducing crime, is it something that you want to invest a lot of money in?"
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