Third anti-yob camera could be on the way
A THIRD anti-yob camera could be added to the two already in service in Runcorn and Widnes.
Safety chiefs have resolved to find out how to fund an extra Stryker unit, minutes of the latest Halton Borough Council policy and performance board meeting show.
Each device has four cameras, giving 360-degree vision, and costs £8,000.
The Halton Community Safety Team joint project involving council, police and others has two Strykers in its inventory.
They had been relocated to Widnes at time of writing.
Recent use included over the Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night period in late October and early November.
One camera array was placed at the corner of Davenport Row and Cotton Lane, overlooking a field used in past years for nuisance unofficial bonfires.
Chief Inspector Sarah Heath, of Runcorn Local Policing Unit, said that the scheme achieved a significant reduction in the amount of antisocial behaviour (ASB) in previous years over the period.
Mark Antrobus, Cheshire police’s Halton ASB supervisor and Halton Community Safety Team officer, said feedback from residents over the deployment of the cameras was always good.
Mr Antrobus said that their location by the field in Halton Lodge followed information from Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service about where they would be of most use.
He said that they have now been relocated to Keats Close and Stewards Avenue in Widnes, adding that no warrant is needed for use but their deployment takes place in ‘ASB hotspots’ and is based on consultation with residents to ‘ensure proportionality’ and minimise intrusion.
He added that the cameras were used as part of a package of measures. ●