Budget cuts force councils to turn off CCTV cameras

COUNCILS have cut spending on CCTV and are operating fewer cameras, according to a report.

Local authorities in the UK committed at least £277 million to the installation, maintenance and monitoring of the systems between 2012 and 2015, research by campaign group Big Brother Watch found.

A previous study found that between 2007 and 2011, town halls spent £515 million – equivalent to £128 million a year – and controlled at least 51,600 CCTV cameras.

The latest findings point to annual spending of £92 million from 2012 to 2015 and indicate local authorities oversaw 45,284 cameras as of March last year.

Last year there were warnings that police could find it more difficult to detect crime if councils switch off cameras in order to cut costs amid budget squeezes.

Big Brother Watch welcomed the reduction in spending but claimed the rationale behind it is “not ideological”. Chief executive Renate Samson said: “Whilst the findings of this report appear encouraging, the reduction in spending may be nothing more than a lull before the storm of more intrusive, biometric or 3D cameras appearing on our streets.

Simon Blackburn, of the Local Government Association, said: “Councils are under increasing budgetary pressures and are having to prioritise the services that are important to local people.”