§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of CCTV on crime in south Tyneside. [32093]
§ Mr. DenhamThere are currently five Home Office funded closed circuit television (CCTV) systems either in operation or in the process of being installed in the south Tyneside area. These cover, South Shields Foreshore, south Tyneside hospital, Tyne Dock Housing Estate, south Tyneside Control Room and the south Tyneside Mobile scheme.
No evaluation results for these particular schemes are yet available, but Home Office research and other evaluations show CCTV can be effective in reducing crime and helping the police detect crime and convict offenders. CCTV is most effective when used as part of a wider local crime reduction strategy.