Sinn Féin councillor questions CCTV cameras effectiveness

With only 47 identifications and prosecutions secured from the PSNI looking over footage from all police cameras across the north of the city, Sinn Féin councillor Conor Maskey said he had to question the camera's value for money.
“Twaddell is one of our most volatile interfaces yet we still do not know how many arrests or convictions have resulted from the camera we are paying thousands of pounds to install and maintain,” he said.
The PSNI were put through their paces over the £25,000 cameras dotted across North Belfast at the quarterly District Policing Partnership (DPP) meeting.
“There are cameras all over the district yet here we are being told there have only been 47 prosecutions in an entire year as a result of filmed footage and that really is not good enough.
“It's all about value for money and it is obvious the arguments put forward in favour of CCTV surveillance are very weak when set against these identification and prosecution figures.”
Conor said even the fact that only three civilians were employed to monitor almost 50 screens at the Antrim Road base ‘leaves a lot to be desired’.
“I would like to know how much a static police vehicle at the Twaddell interface would cost compared to the cost of erecting and maintaining the camera and paying the three civilian monitors, not to mention the officers who are employed to trawl through footage,” said Conor.
Suggesting police should look into moving the
Independent DPP member, North Belfast interface worker Gerry O’Reilly said dealing with interface violence was not the job of police alone.
Echoing Conor's scepticism on the effectiveness of CCTV, Gerry said the only answer was ‘sitting down with the community’.
“What is needed is community interaction, not cameras and jeeps,” he said.
“I have seen interaction work and I also know that putting up a camera or the PSNI sitting in a jeep or car is not going to achieve results but getting in with the community will.”