Lib Dem councillors have called for a full scale scrutiny review of the operation of CCTV in the borough following serious concerns raised by both Labour and Lib Dem councillors at this week’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Labour councillor responsible for crime, Cllr Nilgun Canver, faced tough questioning, even from her Labour colleagues, over the management and performance of the CCTV camera network in the borough.

In a series of questions on the issue, Cllr David Winskill (Lib Dem, Crouch End) who has long campaigned against the poor use of CCTV in the battle against crime in the borough, raised concerns over the failure of the CCTV system in Muswell Hill and the lack of direct links to the CCTV control room.

Cllr David Winskill comments:

“There is clearly a complete lack of joined-up thinking within the Council over getting the best use from CCTV. There is widespread confusion, and inadequate performance on a range of technical and operational issues.

“For this reason, I have now asked the Chair of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee for a full scale review of the operation of CCTV in Haringey as soon as possible in the next municipal year. We must have a clear plan to get things working properly.”

Lib Dem Crime and Community Safety spokesperson, Cllr Ron Aitken adds: “Until the CCTVmess has been sorted out Haringey should look at other measures that are simple and cost effective and offer shop owners peace of mind.

“I will be writing to Cllr Canver to suggest she offers officers’ time to work with local councillors to encourage shop keepers to adopt the Rapid Radio network.”