28 April - CCTV : There is more to it than meets the eye
After the old map of Bexley Council’s CCTV cameras was published a few
readers wondered if there was any point in having unmonitored cameras at all, they cover
a restricted area and the chances of a camera pointing in the right direction at a
critical moment would be pretty slim.
Spending £600,000 a year on a system that has only a small chance of being
useful compared to £800,000 for someone to be watching for trouble all the time
would appear to be a value for money upgrade.
The ability to pan the cameras around would immediately double their coverage
and zooming in would massively increase the chance of any recording being usable.
Bexley Conservatives pride themselves on giving value for money but they have
got this one wrong haven’t they? Unfortunately they are far too stubborn to change their
minds and in the nine years I have been watching them closely every single
petition has been either rejected or ignored. The only possibility of change comes on 3rd May.
It is time for a few bloody noses around here. Teresa and Co. need to be taught a lesson.
At the recent Cabinet and Council meetings, Labour leader Daniel Francis
referred to a letter he had received from the staff who used to monitor the CCTV
24/7. It is a very revealing document and opens one’s eyes to just how much is
being lost through Cabinet Member Craske’s crass decision.
Click image above to read all five pages. (PDF)
Image below is another short extract.
Note: Councillor Francis referred to a six page letter. The copy presented here is the same letter but redundant line spaces have been removed, hence only five pages.