CCTV proposals put the public in danger

I WAS interested to read the public comments of surgeon Dr Jonathan Shepherd, who expressed concern about proposals to switch off CCTV cameras in Caerphilly County.

Professor Shepherd described the cutbacks proposed as highly irresponsible which, he said, put public safety at risk. The Plaid Cymru group agrees. Chief prosecutor for the Welsh Crown Prosecution Service, Barry Hughes, has also said public and private CCTV was “valuable” in helping achieve successful prosecutions and bringing criminals to justice.

Under budget plans drawn up by Labour-run Caerphilly council, there are plans to decommission 26 CCTV cameras in the Aber Valley, Nelson, Cefn Fforest, Llanbradach, Graig–YRhacca, Oakdale, Pengam train station, Trinant and at the Crescent Road car park Caerphilly. Inevitably, the public will feel less safe if these proposals are confirmed.

This is not the first time Labour has proposed action which damages public safety. They have switched off thousands and thousands of street lights in residential areas in the early hours and will continue to do so through 2020.

It seems that this proposal was not made after a risk analysis but purely on the grounds of which cameras were the most expensive to run. Why should residents of these communities be put at extra risk for this reason? While spending cuts may need to be made in certain circumstances, it is surely wrong to propose measures which put public safety at risk. Plaid Cymru want these proposals, along with many others drawn up by Labour, to be looked at again and binned.

Colin Mann Leader, Plaid Cymru Group Caerphilly County Borough Council