Residents are being given free doorbell cameras in new crime crackdown

DEVICES GIVEN TO THOSE SUFFERING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

DOZENS of Derby households are getting free Ring doorbell cameras from councillors in a bid to clamp down on anti-social behaviour and make people feel safer.

The scheme, which aims to reduce issues such as drug dealing and fly-tipping, has already started in Sinfin and is now set to be rolled out to other areas of the city including Alvaston and Mackworth.

More than £2,000 has been spent on the doorbell cameras from Derby City Council’s neighbouring board committee funds – run by locality officers and councillors from each ward who have the power to spend money to help improve wards and community projects.

Mackworth councillors have approved an order for 25 doorbell cameras at the cost of £1,000 and Alvaston councillors approved a payment for £999 worth of cameras which will soon be distributed.

Retail prices for doorbell cameras can vary but a quick look at one well-known shopping website saw them on sale from between £40 and £160.

Residents living in Alvaston, Mackworth and Sinfin/Osmaston can request a free camera by contacting their councillors – but they may have to pay an annual subscription fee (understood to be around £50 a year) as part of the deal.

It is understood councillors want to distribute them widely across the wards to places where anti-social behaviour problems persist and to protect vulnerable people. Councillors say if the scheme is a success then more residents could be able to get free cameras in the future.

It is not yet clear how much Sinfin councillors paid for doorbell cameras – but councillor Sarah

Chambers said it was money well spent with them being used as evidence to help issue fines.

She said: “I believe Sinfin and Osmaston were the first ward to purchase Ring doorbells from our neighbourhood board fund. These have been distributed to residents who have reported ASB, repeated fly-tipping and drug dealing outside their properties.

“We have issued several fixed penalty notices from footage collected and passed several pieces of evidence to the police.

“This initiative has been valuable and makes residents feel safer.

“I believe Alvaston North and South, plus Mackworth and New Zealand are following suit. It’s important our communities feel safe, actions are being taken to find resolutions and we assist our local police officers who do an amazing job with limited resources.”

Mackworth councillor Ndukwe

Onuoha said the doorbells will help residents in the area who are worried about their own safety.

He said: “We hear the police keep saying ‘we don’t have enough evidence’ so it’s a case of how can we improve that. We’ve seen in Sinfin where the cameras have shown evidence of people fly-tipping – so we want to widen the ability of having evidence across the ward, that will make people feel safe.

“We are now working with police to identify hotspots where these cameras can be distributed. We don’t want to distribute them at random.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked councillors if the council should be getting its own cameras to clamp down on antisocial behaviour – and if this was a way of the council asking the public to do its job.

Derby Mayor and Alvaston councillor Alan Graves said: “They will be free to people who are deserving. It is to combat as much crime as we can. It is amazing how many people feel safer because they have a camera on their door.

“I don’t think it’s solely the council’s business to clamp down on crime – I think that’s a police area. But by doing this we are supporting the police.”

Alvaston councillor John Evans, who has also backed the scheme, said: “I disagree with that. In my opinion I think the council should be providing the basic public services – the bins, potholes, cutting grass and the social services. That’s what the council should be doing, and this is a way of supplementing it.”And fellow Alvaston councillor Tim Prosser said councillors in the area have recently purchased a council camera to monitor areas where there are anti-social behaviour problems but usually they cost a lot more than the doorbell cameras.