To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to increase the use of CCTV where there is demand from communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to increase the use of CCTV where there is demand from communities.

The Government support the effective use of CCTV to cut crime and protect the public. It is for local agencies to determine how best to deploy and use CCTV systems to meet local needs. Our surveillance camera code of practice will help them to do so.

The Government support the effective use of CCTV to cut crime and protect the public. It is for local agencies to determine how best to deploy and use CCTV systems to meet local needs. Our surveillance camera code of practice will help them to do so.

One point on which the hon. Lady might like to reflect is the fact that crime in Greater Manchester is down by 11%. We are not seeking

to make it harder to get CCTV. The hon. Lady may shake her head, but we are not. We are supporting local communities in their approach. The fact is that, yes, CCTV can help to make a difference, but it also needs to command the support of the public. That is precisely what the code of practice seeks to assure.

One point on which the hon. Lady might like to reflect is the fact that crime in Greater Manchester is down by 11%. We are not seeking

to make it harder to get CCTV. The hon. Lady may shake her head, but we are not. We are supporting local communities in their approach. The fact is that, yes, CCTV can help to make a difference, but it also needs to command the support of the public. That is precisely what the code of practice seeks to assure.

The hon. Lady has clearly not reflected on the answer that I have just given. Ultimately, it is for local communities to decide what works best in their area. She quotes a figure, but no evidence of widespread reductions in town centre CCTV systems has been brought to our attention. Our code of practice is simply about supporting local communities. We believe in the use of CCTV. The problem under the last Government was that they spent hundreds of millions of pounds without working out whether the CCTV systems actually made any difference to cutting crime. That is our focus; that is what we will support local authorities to do.

The hon. Lady has clearly not reflected on the answer that I have just given. Ultimately, it is for local communities to decide what works best in their area. She quotes a figure, but no evidence of widespread reductions in town centre CCTV systems has been brought to our attention. Our code of practice is simply about supporting local communities. We believe in the use of CCTV. The problem under the last Government was that they spent hundreds of millions of pounds without working out whether the CCTV systems actually made any difference to cutting crime. That is our focus; that is what we will support local authorities to do.

I recognise my hon. Friend’s point and, equally, how it is possible to pool together resources and systems to make CCTV systems that much more effective. Those are precisely the sorts of approaches that we are seeking to advance through the code of practice, and I am sure that the surveillance camera commissioner will also examine my hon. Friend’s point.

I recognise my hon. Friend’s point and, equally, how it is possible to pool together resources and systems to make CCTV systems that much more effective. Those are precisely the sorts of approaches that we are seeking to advance through the code of practice, and I am sure that the surveillance camera commissioner will also examine my hon. Friend’s point.

The Government support the effective use of CCTV to cut crime and protect the public. It is a matter for local agencies to determine how best to deploy and use CCTV systems to meet local needs.

The Government support the effective use of CCTV to cut crime and protect the public. It is a matter for local agencies to determine how best to deploy and use CCTV systems to meet local needs.

We certainly recognise the important part that CCTV can play in making communities safer, and the hon. Lady has mentioned the City Watch programme in Liverpool. The Government are not seeking to make it harder to use CCTV; rather, we are seeking to put in place steps to ensure that its use is effective and commands the support of the public and, in so doing, that it can continue to carry out its important work.

We certainly recognise the important part that CCTV can play in making communities safer, and the hon. Lady has mentioned the City Watch programme in Liverpool. The Government are not seeking to make it harder to use CCTV; rather, we are seeking to put in place steps to ensure that its use is effective and commands the support of the public and, in so doing, that it can continue to carry out its important work.

I do not accept that more bureaucracy is preventing CCTV cameras from being adopted. Under the previous Government, a centralised control mechanism was put in place, but it did not actually assess whether the CCTV systems were effective or cutting crime. We think that these decisions are better made locally, but we also want to ensure, through a code of practice, that CCTV is proportionate and effective, and delivers what it needs to deliver.

I do not accept that more bureaucracy is preventing CCTV cameras from being adopted. Under the previous Government, a centralised control mechanism was put in place, but it did not actually assess whether the CCTV systems were effective or cutting crime. We think that these decisions are better made locally, but we also want to ensure, through a code of practice, that CCTV is proportionate and effective, and delivers what it needs to deliver.

I say to my hon. Friend that the Government support the use of CCTV and that it can be a very important way of bringing criminals to justice. He may wish to speak to his police and crime commissioner, who will hold a new community safety budget, part of which they may wish to apply to support CCTV projects.

I say to my hon. Friend that the Government support the use of CCTV and that it can be a very important way of bringing criminals to justice. He may wish to speak to his police and crime commissioner, who will hold a new community safety budget, part of which they may wish to apply to support CCTV projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of likely trends in the number of CCTV cameras in operation in the UK up to 2015.

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of likely trends in the number of CCTV cameras in operation in the UK up to 2015.

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the level of CCTV coverage in local authority areas since May 2010.

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the level of CCTV coverage in local authority areas since May 2010.

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who were arrested where CCTV evidence was a contributory factor in (a) the west midlands, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) the east midlands and (d) Essex in (i) 2009-10 and (ii)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who were arrested where CCTV evidence was a contributory factor in (a) the west midlands, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) the east midlands and (d) Essex in (i) 2009-10 and (ii)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from police authorities on the decision by some local authorities to cease or reduce funding for the operation of CCTV; and if she will make an assessment of any potential effects of such funding reductions...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from police authorities on the decision by some local authorities to cease or reduce funding for the operation of CCTV; and if she will make an assessment of any potential effects of such funding reductions...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who were (a) arrested and (b) convicted as a result of CCTV evidence in (i) Birmingham, (ii) Bradford, (iii) Derby, (iv) Thurrock and (v) Ashfield in (A) 2009-10 and (B)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who were (a) arrested and (b) convicted as a result of CCTV evidence in (i) Birmingham, (ii) Bradford, (iii) Derby, (iv) Thurrock and (v) Ashfield in (A) 2009-10 and (B)...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from police authorities on the decision by some local authorities to cease or reduce funding for the operation of CCTV; and what assessment her Department has made of any potential effect on the prevention and...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from police authorities on the decision by some local authorities to cease or reduce funding for the operation of CCTV; and what assessment her Department has made of any potential effect on the prevention and...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who have been (a) arrested and (b) convicted as a result of CCTV evidence in each of the last five years; and what the offences were in each case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of people who have been (a) arrested and (b) convicted as a result of CCTV evidence in each of the last five years; and what the offences were in each case.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to ensure that CCTV systems installed by bus operators use a technical format compatible with use by the police for the purposes of legal proceedings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to ensure that CCTV systems installed by bus operators use a technical format compatible with use by the police for the purposes of legal proceedings.