Police donate 'broken' cameras in the fight against Gloucester fly-tipping

Two second-hand surveillance cameras which were donated by police to tackle fly-tipping in Gloucester are broken and the others are not being used full-time over fears they will also stop working.

Gloucestershire Constabulary gave Gloucester City Council some CCTV cameras which were recently decommissioned by the force.

The council took them on in the hope they could be used to tackle the problem of fly-tipping in the city.

However, officers have since tested them and found that two out of the ten cameras do not work.

Cllr Usman Bhaimia asked council leaders at a meeting on 26 January what was the point of having the cameras if they don’t work.

Council leader Richard Cook told those present at North Warehouse that they are using the eight cameras that do work to watch areas that are fly-tipping hotspots.

But they are not using them full time as there is a high chance they will “break down”, he said.

“This is because they are second-hand already. We are just using them for additional surveillance in areas where flytipping is common,” Cllr Cook said.

“We have the cameras in our possession and eight out of the ten offered by the police are in working order and, subject to the usual testing prior to deployment, are now available to be used.

“It has been agreed by the council and police that the cameras will only be used to gather further evidence for on-going investigations, as opposed to being deployed to capture new potential offenders or offences being committed.

“This is because the cameras have been in service/use by the police for several years and we need to extend and maximise their working life.”

In a statement to ITV News, Gloucestershire Constabulary said they provided the cameras in case they were still usable, or on the basis that parts could be recycled to fix faulty cameras in future.

A police spokesman said: “These were provided with the knowledge that they may not all work, however, a lens can be expensive to replace if damaged and this means they could be replaced for free in future by using a part from an old camera.

“One of our licensing officers spent time training several members of staff on how to maintain the cameras, provided a laptop with the software required and contact details for the company which can install them.

“The cameras have already been in service for several years and were replaced with upgrades, and therefore they have been recycled free of charge to maximise their working life.”

Credit: Carmelo Garcia/LDRS reporter