Agenda item

Councillor Jazz Dhillon attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor. 

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

·         Had been monitoring criminal activity in Harlington since 2002.

·         Had asked residents how they felt about crime in the area.

·         Elderly residents did not feel safe late at night.

·         Residents did not leave their garden tools in sight.

·         Residents feel unsecure.

·         UB3 postcode was No. 7 in the league of most burgled postcodes.

·         Car and home insurance is high in the area and continued to go up.

·         People had moved out of the area due to crime.

·         Over 750 had signed the petition.

·         The Police did nothing or took 4-5 days to investigate reported burglaries.

·         CCTV would deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.

·         Some residents had paid for their own CCTV outside their property.

·         Cutting wires of CCTV on lampposts would be harder than CCTV on the ground.

·         People were often congregating and doing/selling drugs.

·         CCTV should cover hidden spaces.

·         Temporary CCTV would not be effective.

·         Over 20 roads needed to be covered by CCTV.

Councillor Jazz Dhillon spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following issues:

·         Petitioners had gathered a vast amount of info.

·         There was a difference in the data received from petitioners and the Police and the Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Team.

·         There was some evidence that suggested CCTV was needed.

·         CCTV could be used on a temporary or mobile basis to access the petitioner's concerns.

·         Short term and long term solutions were needed.

·         Gates, hedging and alley gates could also act as a deterrent.

The Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Investigation Team Manager stated that CCTV worked well when attention was focused on a smaller area.  There had recently been a murder in the Pinkwell Ward in an area which happened to have CCTV, the CCTV located in this area did assist with the arrest of several suspects.  However it was explained to petitioners that CCTV was not always the suitable option in some areas.     

The Cabinet Member listened to the concerns and responded to the points raised.  The Cabinet Member thanked petitioners for attending the meeting.  It was stated that CCTV worked well in areas such as Town Centres or open spaces.  Petitioners were informed that the official evidence and statistics available were not sufficient grounds for CCTV to be installed.  Unfortunately the demands for CCTV in particular areas of Hillingdon were high.

The Cabinet Member decided to review the situation by the end of June 2014 to justify if there was a need for CCTV in the local area.  The Cabinet Member encouraged residents to report crimes relating to Anti-Social Behaviour to either/both the Police and the Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Team.  It was further explained that the Council would need official data and highlighted the importance of crimes being reported.  The Cabinet Member also informed petitioners that the Council offered residents who were over 65 years of age a free burglar alarm, further details could be found on the Council's website.

RESOLVED -

That the Cabinet Member:

1)    Noted the views of the petitioners.

2)    Noted that permanent CCTV around Pinkwell estate was not a practical solution to the problem.

3)    Considered the installation of temporary CCTV from time to time to detect or deter crime and disorderly behaviour as it occurred, however, decided for the situation to be reviewed in 3 months time.

4)    Informed petitioners of the Older People's Burglar Alarm Scheme to offer residents aged 65 and over opportunity to have a burglar alarm installed free of charge in their home.