CCTV finally launched

9:20am Friday 2nd November 2007

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AFTER many years of talking about it CCTV is finally operating in Devizes town centre.

Devizes Development Partnership (DDP) took up the baton of trying to make it a reality three years ago and yesterday the system went live.

Peter Lay, chairman of DDP, said: "We organised an open meeting and there was a complete consensus, everyone wanted CCTV."

What had been the sticking point in the past was finding a CCTV system that was affordable.

DDP decided to follow the example of Wootton Bassett's CCTV system which is manned by volunteers as this keeps the costs down while involving the community.

Daryl Saville-Brown, who became the town centre manager for Devizes in July last year, gained momentum with the project and raised the funding of just under £60,000 to set the scheme up.

The revenue costs will be just over £5,000 a year.

A total of 39 organisations and businesses have contributed funding or help in kind towards it.

The system initially has four cameras; above H J Johnsons Jewellers in Maryport Street, on the NatWest bank in the Market Place, above Eye Tech Opticians in the Market Place and above Curry's in The Brittox.

Funding for a fifth camera in Sidmouth Street is almost secured and a sixth camera will be installed in Snuff Street once the former One Stop Shop has been redeveloped.

The cameras are recording 24/7 in the control room in the Crown Centre.

The system uses wireless technology and has two and a half times terabyte storage space which means it has capacity for 31 days recording before it starts again.

Noel Woolrych, who runs his own computer company, has lent his services free to help set up the system and train the volunteers.

He said: "We have got a fantastic bit of kit capable of recording in high definition. It's accurate enough to read the make of a whisky bottle at night."

There are 12 volunteers already signed up but more are still needed.

Mr Woolrych said: "Volunteers can do as little as one hour a month or several hours a day, whatever suits them."

The volunteers abide by strict rules. They are police checked and have to sign a declaration of secrecy.

Mr Woolrych said: "This is not Big Brother. No one, including the police, can go on fishing trips. We are not able to needlessly spy on people. There has to be good cause for the operators to focus on somebody The cameras have privacy filters programmed in so they can't see into residential windows."

Retired engineering buyer Gordon Brookes is one of the volunteers.

Mr Brookes, 75, has lived in the Devizes area for nine years.

He said: "I was fed up of seeing shop windows being kicked in by vandals so I volunteered. Hopefully CCTV will bring more security and make people feel safer."

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with the project call Daryl Saville-Brown on (01380) 729528.