CCTV and loudpeakers plan to beat Carlisle yobs
Last updated 14:27, Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Yobs who cause trouble at Hammonds Pond in Upperby, Carlisle, could soon get the shock of their lives.
The city council is to install CCTV cameras with loudspeakers at the public park, wired to a control room at the Civic Centre.
Operators who spot someone acting suspiciously will order them to stop and warn that the police are on the way.
The council’s ruling executive approved the £25,000 scheme yesterday.
A spokeswoman said: “It’s really to try and stop any criminal activity taking place in the first place.
“If the operators can see a problem brewing, they can make the perpetrators aware that they are being followed.
“It will act as a deterrent and hopefully they won’t follow it through.”
Hammonds Pond is one of the city’s most popular open spaces.
Facilities include duck ponds, an aviary, café, miniature railway and a new multi-use games area.
But it has been plagued by vandalism.
Last year £5,000 worth of damage was caused in an arson attack on a play unit.
And an electric motor was damaged at the café requiring £2,000 repairs.
A report from the council’s director of community services, Mike Battersby, explains how the system would work.
He says: “A suitable CCTV system has been specified and costed, which would provide a live link to the council’s control room at the Civic Centre and would allow controllers to interact with intruders via a loudspeaker built into the camera mounting.”
The council is providing £20,000 with the remaining £5,000 coming from the Friends of Hammonds Pond.
The council will meet running costs, which are estimated at £3,000 a year.
Yesterday’s meeting also agreed to provide £10,000 towards the cost of a security fence around allotments in Adelaide Street.
JWhittle@cngroup.co.uk
Is the monitoring to be done just during normal office hours? If so what is the point as the vandals will just take advantage out of hours.Alternatively, at what cost 24 hour monitoring? Is that in the budget plan? Parents should keep check on their offspring and teach them respect for property and facilities provided for the public.Too many parents think it is someone else's responsibility - wrong! it's theirs.Use council tax money for better things.
View all comments on this article
Have your say
Instead of spending more tax payers money on CCTV & loudspeaker systems, why don't the council invest money in the kids causing these problems, set up some youth clubs or something to get these bored kids outs of the parks and streets and get them motivated into something constructive instead of destructive,
Posted by Monika Walker on 3 September 2008 kl. 15:07