MOVABLE CCTV CAMERAS VIEWED POSITIVELY IN DONAGHADEE

The use of temporary CCTV cameras in Donaghadee has been viewed positively by local residents.

Three 'redeployable' CCTV cameras have been in use at The Moat in Donaghadee since mid-March, with 83% of people who responded to a survey stating that the cameras had improved anti-social behaviour in the area and 77% feeling safer as a result of their presence.

The cameras were put in place by Ards Borough Council as a result of complaints from local residents about anti-social behaviour problems in and around The Moat and were intended to deter, as much as to detect, offenders, as Councillor Jonathan Bell, Chairman of the Council Services Committee, explained:

"Unlike the permanent CCTV system which is in place in Newtownards, these mobile cameras give us the opportunity to target hotspots at different locations around the Ards Borough. They are proving to be quite effective as a deterrent, simply because when they are there, those who cause problems with drinking in public places, littering and vandalism aren't," said Councillor Bell. "In addition, the cameras are backed up by random patrols by the Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Team and the police, another visible sign of the commitment to tackling the kinds of problems which can have such a detrimental affect on local residents' quality of life".

Redeployable cameras have also been used in the last number of months at the old abattoir site on the Portaferry Road, Newtownards, as well as at the rear of Comber Leisure Centre.