§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's assessment is of the impact of closed circuit television cameras on crime. [121303]
§ Ms BlearsPolice operational experience and various other research studies show that CCTV has considerable crime reduction and detection potential, particularly when used as part of a wider strategy.
To help ensure maximum impact and sustainability of CCTV, a £1.5 million Home Office funded national evaluation programme is being carried out by the Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, on 15 approved CCTV Initiative schemes.
The final evaluation report will not be published until 2004, but interim reports will be available before then. The first—providing guidance for practitioners on implementation of CCTV schemes—is available on the crime reduction website, www.crimereduction.gov.uk.
Early findings from a number of Home Office funded schemes are very encouraging:
- Alhambra Shopping Centre, Barnsley:
- Retail property crime dropped by 35 per cent. in the first two years after launch in 1999.
- Firthmoor Estate, Darlington:
- Statistics from the police show that crime was reduced by 44 per cent. during the first year that CCTV was in operation.