COUNCIL officials have been urged to take on board the views of local traders who are concerned about controversial plans to axe CCTV from the district’s main towns.
Public consultation on the move to pull the plug on the cameras — installed a decade ago in Downpatrick, Newcastle and Ballynahinch — ended last Friday.
Newry, Mourne and Down Council is planning to end CCTV provision next March but the move has sparked concern in the business community and among some local residents.
The local authority says the equipment has “reached the end of its useful life” and in what is being seen as a bid to deflect criticism of the move, argues the removal of the cameras coincides with reducing crime across the district.
Axing the CCTV system is being blamed on reduced PSNI funding and problems over recent years with breakdowns resulting in the cameras being out of action for long periods.
Council officials say ratepayers have been footing increasing repair bills and revealed the cost of replacing the security camera system and updating the technology required to operate it would be very expensive.
In addition, they have highlighted concerns about the effectiveness of the cameras, explaining there is no evidence currently available which can measure whether the footage they capture is contributing to criminal prosecutions.
The local authority says the difficulty in standardising CCTV monitoring and surveillance across the district, as well as budgetary constraints and the desire to provide ratepayers with maximum value for money, are other factors which prompted their decision.
South Down MLA, Colin McGrath, who recently conducted his own door-to-door survey on plans to axe CCTV, said the views of the business community must be taken on board.
“The local authority took the decision to end CCTV provision in the district’s main towns and then invited the public to have its say,” he continued. “I felt the initial decision was taken with little to no consultation with the public.”
Mr McGrath said that while he understood the financial constraints of CCTV were extremely high and the current equipment was in need of a major upgrade, many traders felt that the presence of the cameras acted as a deterrent for crime and anti-social behaviour.
“As such, I feel it is up to the local council, despite it not being their statutory role, to listen to traders and to ratepayers,” he said.
“It is of the utmost importance that the views of the public are given consideration on the future of CCTV provision across the district. After all, it is their rates that fund and direct council spend.”