CCTV
Effectiveness of Town Centre CCTV
This document is published for archival/historical purposes. It will not be updated.
Research into the effectiveness of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) has been heavily scrutinised since the widespread introduction of CCTV into public space. It has been suggested by some that the development of town centre CCTV systems has been driven more by the availability of government funding than by any crime prevention principle. This study attempts to assess if crime prevention is the main reason for the existence of town centre CCTV in Gillingham. This study examines crime statistics from Gillingham for five years post CCTV - in contrast to many recent studies which on examine a 12-month post-implementation period - and compares these to a similar control area with no CCTV over the same time period. The results show that Gillingham witnessed an average reduction of 35% of the total reported crime rate in the High Street and adjacent car parks compared to a 0.05% reduction in the control area.
Title: Town Centre CCTV: An Examination of Crime Reduction in Gillingham, Kent.
Author: Matthew Griffiths
Number of pages: 58
The report questions the value of bare crime statistics, and a more detailed examination of changes within specific crimes are explored. This has shown CCTV is most effect at reducing vehicle crime and least effect at reducing violent crimes.
The evaluation asks to what extent CCTV can be attributable to these reductions in offences and identifies other factors that may be mutually dependent in the fight against crime. In doing so, attention is drawn to the shortcomings of previous evaluations and current knowledge gaps in relation to the impact of CCTV on crime. Ultimately this study sets out the key elements needed in future research and evaluation if CCTV is to gain continued widespread support.
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Last update: Wednesday, August 27, 2008