‘A Partnership Solution To Catch Criminals in the Act’
Surveillance cameras have been built into bus shelters in Hyndburn, thanks to a pioneering scheme from Lancashire County Council’s Safer Travel Unit and Hyndburn Community Safety Partnership.
The cameras were introduced to improve safety for passengers, and to combat graffiti and vandalism. Consultation with members of the public highlighted shelter damage was one of the reasons people were reluctant to use buses. There is a fear that the passenger, when standing at an unlit, damaged shelter, is more likely to be subject to crime.
In order to address the problem the Safer Travel Unit – together with the Hyndburn Community Safety Partnership – approached West Yorkshire based Vetatech who introduced ‘Sheltercam’ – a state of the art digital CCTV system.
Trials of the systems in West Yorkshire have seen a 72% reduction in damage and vandalism at the shelters protected by the cameras, with a 24% reduction over all to shelters due to the publicity generated by the scheme.
The High Sheriff of Lancashire, Gail Stanley who officially launched the scheme, said: “Any initiative which enables the public of Lancashire to travel without the fear of being subject to crime can only be good news. I fully support this initiative”
Michael Frankland, Chair of the Hyndburn Community Safety Partnership added, “We are proud that Hyndburn is the first area within Lancashire to spearhead this type of bus shelter CCTV system. We are confident that the use of such a system will discourage anti-social behaviour and vandalism but most of all encourage our communities to feel safer and more reassured whilst using bus shelters in Hyndburn to wait for public transport”.
