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Insp Porter is getting on his bike to help tackle crime
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‘We’re watching’
by Annette Lord20/ 8/2008
COMMUNITY police officers are being armed with video cameras to catch vandals and yobs in the act.
PCSOs in Higher Blackley and Charlestown are being issued with digital camcorders to record incidents of vandalism and anti-social behaviour they come across on patrol.
PCs are also taking out the cameras to secretly gather evidence in situations where they have received numerous calls from the public about specific incidents but are not able to catch them in person.
Inspector Steve Porter, neighbourhood chief for Higher Blackley and Charlestown, said the cameras were being used openly to record specific incidents, not to carry out surveillance of people going about their day-to-day business. And it is already proving useful in enabling police officers to identify culprits after the event.
Inspector Porter said: "It’s very much grown up as a local response to a local issue. I was actually toying with the idea, then a PCSO asked for them, which clinched it. Because PCSOs don't have all the powers of a police officer they sometimes don’t have the teeth to deal with a situation there and then. There’s also a deterrent factor as people know they are being filmed."
As well as collecting evidence that can be used in court where necessary, having film footage allows officers to identify culprits more easily and records what offenders were wearing and carrying.
A dedicated team of officers is cracking down on underage drinking and associated vandalism - targeting parks and known hangouts at weekends, seizing alcohol, preventing nuisance and criminal damage and trying to trace the source of the alcohol, including rogue off licences.
Specialist police off road bikers have also been brought in to patrol areas popular with riders, such as Boggart Hole Clough, issue fines and confiscate the bikes. And Insp Porter is taking time out to cycle around the local area in his bid to encourage officers to spend more time on the streets.
He said: "Some of the youngsters think it’s incredibly amusing. People don’t believe I’m the inspector, not that I make a point of it, but a lot of them assume I'm a PCSO and some have made derogatory comments. It’s less about a gimmick and more about proving that as a team we are interested in what’s going on and getting as physically close to the issues as possible."
Insp Porter said youths drinking on the streets was a ‘massive concern’ for local residents.
During the weekend crackdowns, a youth intervention officer has been on the streets encouraging kids hanging about to find something more fulfilling to do. He has also been working with their parents to encourage them to take on more responsibility.
He said: "It is about listening to what’s important to people round here."
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