The CCTV system used across Hyde Southbank Homes is currently being reviewed following questions from the TA about its cost and its effectiveness.
While respecting both the deterrent value of CCTV cameras and their usefulness to the police in pursuant of major crimes, residents have repeatedly expressed their frustration that no use seems to be made of the cameras when it comes to anti-social behaviour, whether it be dog-fouling, dumped or illegally parked cars and bikes, car break-ins or rubbish thrown over balconies.
The general feeling seems to be that we’re hardly getting value for our money.
We collectively pay roughly £25,000 a year for the monitoring and maintenance of the CCTV cameras on our Estate. This is about a quarter of the total cost for all the cameras across Oval and Hyde’s estates in Stockwell. Yet there are only 15 cameras on KPE, compared to 357 in Stockwell. We think this is totally unfair!
We have been told that the costs were originally apportioned on the basis of the number of properties on the various estates. Then we were told that it was on the basis of rateable values. We are determined to get this changed.