Mobile CCTV cameras will
soon be on the streets of North Ayrshire following a Scottish Executive
award of £40,000 to North Ayrshire Council Community Safety Forum from the
Better Neighbourhoods Fund. The money will be used to purchase a van and
equip it with the state of the art CCTV equipment already in use in Dundee
and parts of Glasgow.
Environment Minister and Labour MSP Allan Wilson welcomed the move as “yet
another means of combating anti social behaviour and environmental
degradation in our local communities’
“This latest development follows on a visit to Ardrossan by the Communities
Minister Margaret Curran last summer when she discussed with local community
representatives, shopkeepers and youngsters what steps they wanted to see to
tackle anti social behaviour in their area” said Mr Wilson.
“High on their agenda was the introduction of CCTV from the centre of the
Three Towns into the peripheral housing estates. Mobile cameras are the
ideal and unobtrusive way of extending this service and will be a valuable
aid to the police in gathering evidence to take action against those in our
communities intent on vandalising or otherwise degrading community
facilities” said Mr Wilson.
“Cameras can be positioned at known fly tipping areas for example to catch
and prosecute those responsible. They can also be used to investigate
complaints of anti social behaviour and will complement the introduction of
local community wardens patrolling the streets and while the service is
coordinated from Saltcoats Police station, the cameras will be available to
local communities in the Garnock Valley and the North Coast as well”
“Importantly, they will act as a deterrent to those groups or individuals
who vandalise or otherwise degrade shops and other community facilities
knowing that their actions will be caught on camera and the necessary
evidence procured to secure a prosecution” said Mr Wilson.
Chief Inspector Harry Young, in charge of the procurement of the Pace
Surveillance Vehicles for crime teams and it’s fitting out, said, “We are
keen to work with the community and see this as a valuable addition to
community safety and crime prevention initiatives.” |
