Newbury's CCTV Options

[Richard Garvie]

Just for clarification, here is the email from Nick carter that Graham Jones asked me to publish. He said nobody has ever quoted numbers to me or anyone else, but this email clearly states only 20 cameras were visible as of 5th January. It appears we have been misled again, this time in a council meeting!!!

From: Nick Carter <NCarter@westberks.gov.uk>
Date: Fri, Jan 7, 2011 at 4:28 PM
Subject: RE: CCTV
To: Richard Garvie <richard.garvie@googlemail.com>
Cc: Andy Day <ADay@westberks.gov.uk>, Graham Jones <GJones@westberks.gov.uk>, Keith Ulyatt <KUlyatt@westberks.gov.uk>, Susan Powell <SPowell@westberks.gov.uk>



Dear Richard



Thank you for your e-mail of 5th January regarding CCTV and the transitional arrangements that have been put in place. It is perhaps best to start with a brief background and update on where we currently are.



It was originally anticipated that the switching over of the cameras from Newbury to Windsor would take place over the course of the week beginning 13th December. During that week it was made clear that there would be periods of downtime when potentially camera images would not be available at either location. The transition period has proved more problematic than anticipated. This is not due to incompetence but rather a combination of poor weather and technical complexities that were not foreseen by either BT, Chubb and others involved in this project. In reality we are still in the transition period although the number of cameras now active at Windsor totals 20 as at 5.00 pm on January 5th. We expect the vast majority, if not all of the cameras to have been transferred across by January 10th.



There is an ongoing problem with the telemetry (viz moving the cameras remotely from Windsor) and this is currently being investigated. I have not been given a time as to when this will be remedied but the contractors are working on it.



It would not be true to say there was no CCTV coverage between 17th December and 30th December.



I have made enquiries requiring Pubwatch and Shopsafe and have been told that both are still in operation. It was not planned to transfer these schemes until the cameras had been transferred to Windsor. Police officers and PCSOs all carry radios that support the schemes and we have never been in a position of not being able to provide support as required.



In terms of the Council’s public position on this matter we have not sought to publicise the delay for obvious reasons. We have worked with the Police to ensure that reduced CCTV does not compromise community safety within our Town Centres and my discussions with the Police indicate that we have had a relatively crime free Christmas period.



I have no problem sharing our project plans with you. I think the best way of achieving this would be to contact Susan Powell or Andy Day directly and I have copied them both in on my e-mail so that this can be facilitated.



I hope this clarifies the matter. If not please feel free to come back to me.



Nick


Rachel Cordell PA to the Chief Executive & Leader of the Council
* Chief Executive's Office, West Berkshire Council, Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5LD
' (01635) 519619 (external) ' 2619 (internal) 6 (01635) 519547
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

[dannyboy]

That is a number, not numbers.

[Richard Garvie]

So finally we could be getting a review on the matter?

http://newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=16046

[NWNREADER]

So finally we could be getting a review on the matter?

http://newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=16046

How many people will be worried by the possible outcome?

[dannyboy]

maybe.
We'll soon find out everything wasn;t a shambles & went, all things considered, very well.

[NWNREADER]

maybe.
We'll soon find out everything wasn;t a shambles & went, all things considered, very well.

The brief, and the review team membership, will affect the outcome.

[Simon Kirby]

Should the commission vote in favour, the review would examine the project plan, the public communications plan, what level of uptime was expected/planned for during transition, and whether the council’s standard project methodology was used for the project.

If the Council's standard methodology is, as is widely believed, to bungle and cover-up, then how will it help us when the enquiry concludes that the project went to plan.

Well done though to those tenacious Lib Dems for calling for this enquiry.

[NWNREADER]

If the Council's standard methodology is, as is widely believed, to bungle and cover-up, then how will it help us when the enquiry concludes that the project went to plan.

Hence my comment re brief and format.

I would love for the Council to be brave enough to put the review out to independent oversight. They won't of course

(Sit down, Richard. You are as independant as The Spanish Inquisition)

[Simon Kirby]

Hence my comment re brief and format.

I would love for the Council to be brave enough to put the review out to independent oversight. They won't of course

Sorry, I meant to acknowledged that.

In the Big Society age is there not a role for the community conducting this kind of enquiry? I wonder what that might look like, and how it would be constituted.

[Cognosco]

maybe.
We'll soon find out everything wasn;t a shambles & went, all things considered, very well.

Why? Do you know who will be on the inquiry panel then? Are you saying the inquiry has already been decided?

[Cognosco]

Hence my comment re brief and format.

I would love for the Council to be brave enough to put the review out to independent oversight. They won't of course

(Sit down, Richard. You are as independant as The Spanish Inquisition)

Fox in charge of the chicken coop springs to mind.....

If the council wants to get this cleared up and put behind them then there must be independence on the inquiry.
If not then it will ensure no taxpayer can have any confidence in the council and it will prove there is no transparency.

[dannyboy]

Why? Do you know who will be on the inquiry panel then? Are you saying the inquiry has already been decided?

obvious, no & no.

[NWNREADER]

obvious, no & no.

I so hope I am wrong, but I fear the investigation will be smothered by self interest and 'party lines'. The doubters will cry "Whitewash!!" and the apologists will say" I told you so", but in terms of answers there will be little substance.

The only outcome I seek is the one that produces an inarguable statement of the project end to end. sadly, if anyone feels they are found to have been not right then they will argue they were right to air the concerns, and that there is some minor issue where they can claim victory.

[dannyboy]

I so hope I am wrong, but I fear the investigation will be smothered by self interest and 'party lines'. The doubters will cry "Whitewash!!" and the apologists will say" I told you so", but in terms of answers there will be little substance.

The only outcome I seek is the one that produces an inarguable statement of the project end to end. sadly, if anyone feels they are found to have been not right then they will argue they were right to air the concerns, and that there is some minor issue where they can claim victory.

I agree 100%.

[Andy Capp]

If there is a vote for an investigation, to me that it more or less a vote of no confidence. The fact the CCTV system was compromised to some degree is without doubt I think. It is the reasons it was compromised that is important. If it was to minimise cost that might seem reasonable, but if it was through substandard planning that might be a different matter.

When 'out-sourcing' the system, the telemetry should have been a core function to be considered. That has definitely been fumbled.

[Richard Garvie]

We know that every person who passed comment had a different story. We know that only seven cameras were visible in Windsor up to December 31st, we know there was 20 cameras visible in Windsor on 5th January, and we know that when the FOI was published, it contradicted a lot of what had been said in the media and in emails from council officers and members.

Graham Jones now says that all 40 cameras were visible in Windsor before Newbury closed and there has been no break in services. He said that in the council meeting. This contradicts everything. What we need now is an investigation by an independent body, but whatever an investigation reveals will contradict a lot of what has been said by members / officers either way. This isn't about victory or point scoring, I'd just like to see what actually happened now.

[dannyboy]

We know that only seven cameras were visible in Windsor up to December 31st, we know there was 20 cameras visible in Windsor on 5th January, and we know that when the FOI was published, it contradicted a lot of what had been said in the media and in emails from council officers and members.

I'd just like to see what actually happened now.

Sounds like you already think you know.

[Richard Garvie]

Sounds like you already think you know.

Windsor control told me exactly what they could see at 7pm on 30th December. Nick Carter emailed me on the 7th Jan to give me an update, and I have no reason to doubt him.

As I say, this is about integrity and trust now. It's pretty clear that a number of people are not telling the truth about what has happened. For me, I just wanted to know what has happened so it's very clear which people have told the truth and those who haven't.

[blackdog]

The only outcome I seek is the one that produces an inarguable statement of the project end to end. sadly, if anyone feels they are found to have been not right then they will argue they were right to air the concerns, and that there is some minor issue where they can claim victory.

There is no such thing as inarguable.

What I would like to see as part of the enquiry is whether the new system is as effective as the system it replaced - the one that was operating with 100+ cameras a year ago. I suspect we are actually paying half as much for half the service.

[NWNREADER]

There is no such thing as inarguable.

What I would like to see as part of the enquiry is whether the new system is as effective as the system it replaced - the one that was operating with 100+ cameras a year ago. I suspect we are actually paying half as much for half the service.

Well, it is inarguable the sun comes up in the east, even when it is covered by clouds.....
If something is so well evidenced the truth is undoubted that makes it inarguable in my book. There will always be someone saying 'Ah, But...'. However, I was expressing what I seek. Others can use their own form of words including 'I was right'.....