CAMPAIGNS come and campaigns go. There always seems to be someone campaigning for something.
But few last as long as the 13 years (or more) that Frodsham has been campaigning for CCTV cameras.
Well. We’ve got them now, although it has to be said it seems to be the bare minimum. Most of Main Street and High Street and part of Church Street are covered. But a system that does not cover Eddisbury Square nor Castle Park can hardly be said to be adequate.
Certainly it is a good deal smaller than systems already installed by Cheshire West and Chester at Neston, Northwich and Ellesmere Port.
The former Vale Royal Council carried out a survey to assess the need for CCTV in Frodsham some 13 years ago. The only reason it did not go ahead, so far as we can tell, was the cost. It was said at the time that it would cost £300,000 with another £150,000 for maintenance – but it involved significantly more cameras than are now apparently thought to be adequate for Frodsham.
On the other hand, we are told the cost of CCTV has fallen in recent years.
Our councillors, who have fought long and hard, to get any sort of CCTV in Frodsham, say they are delighted with what Cheshire West and Chester have provided, but qualify this by pointing out how long it has taken to get it and also the need for more cameras.
But our guess would be that it will be some considerable time before any more are offered.
Just in case we are right, it might be useful to remind those in Chester who make the decisions, that almost 10 years ago senior police officers were saying that Frodsham was being targeted by criminals because they knew there was no CCTV.
We can only hope that the cameras we have now received will be sufficient to make them think again.
