I WRITE in response to a letter, “Why no CCTV cash?” published on July 28 asking police authority members to influence how the constabulary spends its budget and allocate funding to CCTV provision in Huntingdonshire.
All public sector agencies have suffered significant spending cuts, which is why Huntingdonshire District Council is reviewing its funding for the service. All agencies are having to make difficult decisions, and yes some things have had to stop in policing too. You cannot cut �6million from one year’s budget without suffering some pain. The constabulary has already informed the district council that they are not in a position to make new financial contributions to running the CCTV service.
We fully appreciate the potential of CCTV as a crime reduction tool. However, many argue that the police service should remain separate from the control or management of CCTV systems. I am aware that in South Cambridgeshire new ways of maintaining the service using trained volunteers are being explored. It is clear we all have to work together to look at different ways to provide such services as we already do with district councils on community safety issues.
We do listen to what the public say is important to them – but we have to be realistic in what we can and should deliver.
RUTH ROGERS
Chairman
Cambridgeshire Police Authority
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