TOWN councillors gave a major thumbs down to CCTV for Tavistock last week claiming ?better policing? was the only way to tackle crime. The request for cameras came from members of the town?s chamber of commerce who said that after 11.30pm a minority in the town were ?out of control? and a CCTV system monitoring the square would give confidence to people with shops or homes nearby. But at an estimated cost of nearly £70,000, members of the town council?s properties committee said they would rather pay for extra manpower on the streets. CCTV has been discussed several times in the past by the town council and turned down. It is hoped that an alcohol control area, which will give officers more powers to seize alcohol being consumed in public, will be effective in stopping vandalism and anti-social behaviour. Theft of flowers and vandalism to the floral displays in Bedford Square, nightly noise and disorder on the square and motorcycles racing around the town centre into the early hours have been highlighted as recent problems by the chamber of commerce. Cllr Philip Sanders said Tavistock was a very unique market town which did not have significant problems with violence or criminal damage: ?The way to stop the problem is to stop eroding police officers,? he said. ?We do not want police community support officers who do not work beyond 10pm. We need properly trained officers who have sufficient time and resources to do the job. ?The police have plenty of powers to deal with disturbances and we want someone here who is prepared to take action.? Mr Sanders said CCTV was a good tool in areas where there was a high level of violent crime but not in Tavistock: ?Everywhere you go now you are watched by TV cameras ? who wants to be under a microscope all the time.? Cllr Michael Harper said CCTV would make Tavistock more remote because police would be watching the cameras from somewhere in Plymouth and not be on the beat in the town: ?Why pay £66,000 when we could have another person or two people on the beat,? he said. It was suggested by Cllr Ramsey that councillors wait and see how much difference the alcohol control area made to disturbances in the town before anything else was considered. The decision was expected to be ratified by the full council as the Times went to press.
