CCTV units could be used in bid to solve property damage
THE vice chancellor of Loughborough University has told residents he will look into moving roaming CCTV units after a discussion about damaged property.
Professor Robert Allison attended the latest SARG (Storer and Ashby Area Residents’ Group) meeting on Tuesday, May 23 as a guest speaker.
As well as listening to Prof Allison talk of the university’s future plans, residents were able to ask him questions.
Dr Carol Humphreys and Dr Steve Bullman, of Ashby Road, asked what contribution the university could make towards damaged property.
Dr Humphreys said gates they had erected to “stop things from going missing” had been damaged twice and she strongly believed it was by university students.
Prof Allison asked if the residents were able to provide names or tell if they were university or college students. He said: “When you can demonstrate it’s our students I will take responsibility.”
Dr Bullman said: “Do you expect the community to fit cameras to prove to people they’re your students? You say we must unequivocally know their names, how? It’s a nonsense thing to suggest.”
Dr Humphreys said: “It would be nice to get something back as a token of the impact students have on the community as it’s not all good.”
Another resident of Ashby Road said at the meeting the university had aided in the past with repairs at his property following two incidents and he could “not identify if they were university or college students”.
Alison Barlow, stakeholder relations manager at the university, said the incident mentioned had witnesses and that’s why the university acted.
She said: “The last incident, which was well before Bob’s time, prompted the university to think about how we handle these cases, as it was putting the university in a difficult situation, we were having to choose between cases to support and not support.
“The answer either had to be to say yes to everything on the balance of probability [of it being students that caused the damage] or we would have to say no unless there was some kind of proof.
“We did ask Carol ‘did you see anything’, the answer was no.”
Prof Allison said: “I want to sort this out, if you don’t find the individuals it will happen again and again. There are some moveable CCTV [units] in the town. I don’t know if it’s possible, but we can have a discussion, if you wish, about looking if we can keep an eye on the property.”
The meeting heard the university would discuss moving the roaming CCTV units with Charnwood Borough Council.