§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications he has received from local authorities for CCTV installations; and if he will make a statement. [4828]
§ Mr. MacleanApplications to the Home Office closed circuit television challenge competitions are made by local CCTV partnerships. Such partnerships are not necessarily led by local authorities, though most will involve them in some way. There were 480 bids in the first competition and 794 in the second. The closing date for bids in the third round of the competition was 20 November 1996.
§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of CCTV systems in crime reduction. [4827]
§ Mr. MacleanThe reports that we have received from the police and closed circuit television operators confirm that there have been significant reductions in crime and the fear of crime in the areas where CCTV has been introduced. These reductions demonstrate the value of CCTV as a crime prevention measure. In addition, we have published a number of research papers examining various aspects of CCTV effectiveness, the latest of which was "CCTV in Town Centres: Three Case Studies", published in November 1995.
§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV systems have been installed in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [4829]
§ Mr. MacleanInformation about closed circuit television systems which have not received Home Office funding is not collected. Of those schemes which have received funding from the Home Office, 73 have been installed in the past 12 months. Approximately 250 more are in the process of installation.