Fears that Wirral CCTV job cuts could lead to rise in crime

Nov 6 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Control room staff keep a constant watch on CCTV cameras (320)

PLANS to cut two jobs to save £51,000 in Wirral council’s CCTV monitoring suite were yesterday increased to six jobs to save £151,000.

Moreton councillor Chris Blakeley, who serves on Wirral’s Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, said the department also faces losing seven members of its 19-strong community patrol team.

The cuts are due to changes in contracts with Wirral Partnership Homes, which was formed by the council as a separate organisation to oversee former council housing.

There were warnings that the moves could lead to law breakers being given more opportunity to commit crime.

The CCTV contract with WPH was worth around £100,000 to the council’s CCTV centre and its loss meant they were forced to review staffing levels.

At the same time the council was looking for areas to cut budgets in all departments and it was decided to close the CCTV control room which monitors 101 cameras between 9am and 5pm.

Cllr Chris Blakeley said this meant criminals would now be given free rein where before CCTV had monitored key areas.

He said it will also silence the borough’s eight cameras equipped with loudspeakers to enable control room staff to call out at anyone seen breaking the law.

Cllr Blakeley said: “We have also been told they could lose the agreement with WPH for community patrol, with the loss of seven jobs. This whole situation shows a cavalier approach by the council to community safety, coming as it does on top of lack of coverage of CCTV.

“Community patrol existed long before WPH, funded by the council, but now it seems we’re reliant on them.

“And as for the cameras, we’re told they will be set on “walk” which means they will swivel around automatically. But any criminal will just know to wait until they point the other way and there will be no one there in the day time, Monday to Friday, to control them.”

Alan Stennard, Director of Regeneration, said: “The review that we undertook initially in response to changes in a service level agreement with Wirral Partnership Homes has now allowed us to make some efficiency savings.

“The Housing and Community Safety Overview and Scrutiny Committee has carefully considered proposals to make changes to the 24-hour function of the local authority central control room.

“The committee heard proposals from officers in relation to positive discussions that had been undertaken with the police that will allow them the ability to access and control these cameras during the day, both the police and council officials are positive that this can be achieved.

“We are working with the staff and the trade unions to ensure that employees affected by these proposals will be treated fairly and in accordance with agreed procedures and good practice.”

A council spokesman also said negotiations with WPH were ongoing about future Community Patrol funding and “it would not be appropriate to comment”.

He said the authority remained hopeful the contract could be extended.

liammurphy