Thame’s CCTV Decision Criticised

THE decision to go ahead with CCTV in Thame town centre, was questioned at the Thame Area Forum last night.
Thame resident, Margie Barbour, said that she thought the money to be spent on installing the CCTV system would be better spend on providing things for the young people who commit anti-social behaviour in and around the town centre, to do.
“I cannot see,” she added, “why we need it after we have just been told that South Oxfordshire has a low crime rate and that the fear of crime is reducing.”
Local author and Chair of the Cattle Market Action Group, Sarah Hayes, also spoke up against the proposal and said: “Classically, providing CCTV only moves the problem out to residential areas.”
The money for the installation of CCTV in the town was recently approved by South Oxfordshire District Council. Thame Town Council and Thame & District Chamber of Commerce will be contributing to the running costs.
Retailers in the town voted by a large majority for CCTV following consultation with Thames Valley Crime Prevention Offices and the local Community Safety Group.
At a recent presentation by Thames Valley Police?s David Bishop, Thame?s Crime Prevention Officer, Lesley Nesbitt and Community Safety Officer for SODC, Hilary Green, the main advantages of CCTV were stated as:-
? Would prevent Thame becoming a ?soft spot? for criminals who avoid the other towns WITH CCTV
? Enables suspicious activity to be tracked by the CCTV operators
? Improves feelings of safety and security among local people in the town centre
? Reduction in crime means financial savings for businesses and the population as a whole.

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