COUNCIL FUNDS SPY CAMERAS TO DETER BURGLARS AND CON MEN

Havering Council is spending £12,400 on special cameras to catch and deter burglars and bogus callers who prey on vulnerable residents.

The Council is providing funding to the local police to install the memory cameras in people’s homes across the borough. The cameras will be fitted to burglary victims’ homes and the kind of properties that bogus callers tend to target.

The small digital cameras record images directly onto memory cards and only record when they detect movement outside. They will record anyone trying to break into a property or bogus callers who call at people's homes and try to con their way in to steal valuables while the victim is distracted.

Mrs Ruby Barrett, aged 85, from Elm Park, recently had a camera fitted to protect her home after she caught an intruder.

She said: "I was in the sitting room and heard someone upstairs – I then saw a man walking down the stairs and he quickly left. He hadn’t taken anything.

"The police came along afterwards and fitted the camera. I live alone and it makes me feel much safer – I think it will act as a deterrent."

Cllr Peter Gardner, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said:

"Burglary is low in Havering but fear of crime is high. These devices will catch crooks, deter many more and also give residents a bit of reassurance. Making Havering safer and reducing the fear of crime is one of our Living Ambitions goals."

Detective Sergeant Sean Treweek, from Havering Police, said:

"These cameras bring a huge peace of mind to occupants and sometimes even serve as a reminder as to why they shouldn’t be opening their front door to a stranger."