Lib Dems slam delay to CCTV projects

1.48.33pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 19th Aug 2008

"The Theale Police Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) agreed a few weeks ago that a local dispersal order would not be renewed, believing that CCTV would be installed in Theale within a couple of months" he said. "Now we're told that it won't even be ordered until the end of the year. First we were told that it would be installed by this May, then that it would be ordered by May, now we will be lucky to have it in place by May next year".

"What's more", he continued, "the reason given is bizarre. The Tory administration at West Berkshire Council has belatedly decided to follow European Union procurement rules, despite the fact that the value of the contract will be below the EU threshold. We're only talking about a handful of cameras. If they had taken this decision at the beginning, the cameras would probably be installed by now".

Community Safety Shadow spokesperson, Roger Hunneman, confirmed that these latest difficulties with CCTV in West Berkshire only adds to the long list of existing problems.

"There have been huge delays in getting CCTV up and running across the district, suitable mobile CCTV units never seem to be available when needed to monitor areas suffering from arson attacks while West Berkshire Council follow unnecessary bureaucratic procedures which will delay deployment of the cameras by months."