Quoted from Meddler

Why is everyone slagging this off? It's well known that CCTV is a rubbish deterrent. When they set it up in town, every drop in crime was attributed to these cameras, then when crime started going up, it was quietly dropped.  Why not get rid of them altogether and use some of the savings to pay for kung fu classes?

CCTV can be rubbish if implemented poorly.

It might be that when yobs become aware of the cameras, it moderated their behaviour somewhat, but then maybe it become known that they are not very good at IDing people.  Yobbish behaviour therefore,  goes back up.  Should the cameras get upgraded to digital, perhaps it would moderate some of the behaviour again.  If none of this is true, then we have to ask why we have invested so much in it.  The £100,000.00 saving of course, is only that, a saving, what is the actual cost?

I understand that the Police would prefer CCTV to be available.  I can think of several vicious attacks that have seen convictions, that without the footage, would have been difficult to prosecute.  Mind you, I am also aware of some incidents where CCTV has been impotent.

Quoted from Threepwood

"you are in a queue, your call is important to us, please wait"
*theme from 'Z Cars' plays"
" sorry to keep you, all our operators are busy at the moment, please hold"
*theme from Dixon of Dock Green plays"
" you now have three options: If you are being robbed, please press 1, if you are being assaulted, please press 2, for raped press 3. for all other enquiries please hold to speak to the first available operator."
"Thank you, you now have 4 choices, if you know the identity of your assailant press 1, if you now also require an ambulance press 2, if you would still like one of our officers to actually turn up to interview you within 48 hours (not at weekends or Bank holidays) press 3, If you're losing the will to live, and there's anyone you'd like us to fit-up for your murder, please press 4 and whisper their name. Otherwise please hold.
*theme from 'The Thin Blue Line' plays *
"I'm sorry, all our lines are busy at the moment, please stay on the line to speak to the next available operator....all calls may be recorded for training purposes"
"theme from 'The Woodentops' plays*

Presses 3
Presses 4
"Threepwood"

Quoted from Dig of the Stump

Presses 3
Presses 4
"Threepwood"

The CCTV monitoring system that we have at the moment is not only borderline obsolete but was incredibly antiquated when it was first installed. It uses a system of four (4) tapes recording all the time. Should anything untoward be captured on camera, one tape is held and sealed for reference, one goes with the arresting officer, one copy later goes to the prosecution and one then goes to the defence.

Should there be no need for the tapes, they are recorded over after a specific time. The tapes are rarely renewed which means that after constant use for, say, a year the recording quality is shot to sh*t.

There seems to be a plan here to move up to DVD technology (which is simpler and easier) but they want the local business to fork out for it again. All this seems like a scare tactic by the Council.

Interestingly, when the original group (fire, police, council, construction etc..) met to discuss the Parkway development one of the police stipulations was that four of the existing town cameras were upgraded and moved to cover the new development. It was agreed that these expenses were to be met be the developers. If I recall correctly, it was in the region of £8,000 per camera. I wonder if they'll try wriggle out of it now.


Threep.

Quoted from Threepwood

... The tapes are rarely renewed which means that after constant use for, say, a year the recording quality is shot to sh*t.

Of course they were! It is normal to replace the tapes every so often, it would not have been very costly. If this is fact, why weren't they replaced?

Quoted from Threepwood

There seems to be a plan here to move up to DVD technology (which is simpler and easier) but they want the local business to fork out for it again.

I would have thought it meant a few digital recorders, they wouldn't be too expensive. Maybe businesses who didn't contribute before could club together

Quoted from 133

I would have thought it meant a few digital recorders, they wouldn't be too expensive. Maybe businesses who didn't contribute before could club together

You'd think something could be done rather than shut the whole lot down. Don't they have to change the whole system to go digital?

Quoted from Dig of the Stump

You'd think something could be done rather than shut the whole lot down. Don't they have to change the whole system to go digital?

I don't think so

Quoted from 133

If this is fact, why weren't they replaced?

Sadly, it is true. Even more sadly they were only replaced when it became very difficult to make out exactly what was going on.


Threep.

Must be something on ebay they could use.

I've got a few C90 tapes in the loft the can use if they need them.

A couple of PVRs are a few hundred quid!  A few boxes of DVDs? Digital cameras are superior in quality as well.  In any case, what happened with the upgrade, was that abandoned?