The sharp eye of the law

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Police now have a much better view of what is going on in Town with a new CCTV system that they say will make it easier for them to identify offenders.

They have replaced all their old CCTV with new cameras that they say will give them a clearer picture of the streets of St Helier and a better chance of identifying and bringing offenders to justice - as well as having a deterrent effect on people who might commit crimes.

Chief Inspector Alan Williamson said: “The new CCTV cameras are not only a lot clearer, but they also have much better zoom technology. It is now possible for us to get a much closer image and cover a wider range, which in turn give us a greater chance to identify any concerns or issues that may require a police or other emergency service response.”

The cameras will cost just over £400,000 to replace but it's money well spent for the Police who use them to help convict offenders.

Chief Inspector Williamson said: "CCTV plays a key role in protecting the public and assisting in the investigation of crime. CCTV is used in two ways - proactively to monitor for suspicious activity and post incident to secure evidence. It is instrumental in helping to identify and bring offenders to justice. CCTV released to the public has played an important role in subsequent prosecutions.

"CCTV is a cost effective way of providing good quality evidence to the courts. The cost of crime investigation is considerably higher than the cost relating to the recovery and examination of CCTV images. The upgrade is of a system that has stood the Island and the States of Jersey Police in good stead for almost twenty years, the initial infrastructure and cameras have provided good value for money. If the replacement lasts half that long it will have been a very positive investment."