Firms asked to pay for spy cams

Shrewsbury businesses will be asked to help pay for the town’s CCTV network - or face a possible rise in crime.

Borough council chief executive Robin Hooper will write to traders urging them to cough up cash for the network, warning that crimes will go unpunished if there is not enough funds to run the system.

He also wants money from the Home Office and police in a bid to ensure the spy cams are monitored around the clock.

A report has been drawn up for the borough council’s overview committee setting out the way forward for the town’s CCTV network.

It says the cameras will continue to be watched by paid staff and volunteers 24 hours a day, but that new sources of money need to be found in the future.

Extra cash from tickets at Frankwell car park, which went up in price last month, will be used to help fund the network.

About £40,000 which the borough council gets each year from Shropshire County Council for second homes income will also be channelled into CCTV. This is cash raised through council tax on people’s second homes.

“The chief executive will write to businesses pointing out the potential for reduced CCTV cover and so reduced ability to respond to situations without some financial support from the business community,” the report says.

“The chief executive will also write to the Home Office and police requesting them to consider making a contribution to the service.”

The budget for CCTV provision for 2007/08 will be set at £176,000, a saving of £96,530 on last year’s funding pot.

Because of the introduction of a new waste collection service in Shrewsbury and Atcham, costing £1.3 million, improvements to the CCTV network are unlikely until March 2008 at the earliest. But the report adds that work to recruit volunteers to help monitor the cameras is going well.

By Tom Warren