NEYLAND Town Council is to spend more than £11,000 on CCTV, in a bid to stop anti-social behaviour at Brunel Quay once and for all.

At a meeting on Monday (May 11), seven councillors voted in favour of investing in an HD camera system for Brunel Quay car park, with one vote against, and two abstentions.

The area has long been plagued by ‘boy racers’, but cameras purchased by the council in 2014 were later found to be ineffective at providing clear enough evidence for police to use.

The new four-camera system will cover the whole car park, including where the entrance meets the main road, and – thanks to high-power LEDs – will also work at night.

The cameras will record in HD quality, meaning the images can be zoomed in on, to clearly show drivers’ faces.

They will be fitted on top of a 4.5 metre tower, and can each give up to eight separate views of the area.

A screen, housed in an alarmed ‘anti-vandal’ cabinet nearby, will mean offences can be viewed with a few minutes of occurring, and outside office hours.

In total, the system will cost £11,577 – around half of the town council’s reserves.

Sergeant Daniel Bower, who was also at the meeting, said the cameras were ‘no doubt a cracking bit of kit’ and would be beneficial if they provided enough evidence to bring prosecutions and prevent crime.

Special powers granted to police to ‘move on’ troublemakers expired in April, and have been replaced by Section 59 orders – meaning anyone caught driving in a manner that causes ‘alarm, distress or annoyance’ risks having their vehicle seized temporarily.

But for these to work, there must be clear evidence of such behaviour.

Mayor Cllr Simon Hancock said the current system, purchased by the town council in 2014, was ‘useless’ in providing evidence and security for local people.

But Cllr Mike Harry asked whether the amount was ‘overkill’, warning that – even if the cameras worked as a deterrent – the problem may just move elsewhere.

Cllr Hancock responded, saying that if the cameras ‘put the issue to bed’ it would be money well spent.

Councillor Paul Smith said anti-social behaviour had been a problem in the area for at least 11 years, adding: “That’s like one grand a year, which seems like value for money to me.”

“This does everything we want it to do, everything the police want it to do,” added the town clerk.

A representative from OCON – the firm which will supply the system – said the cameras should be in place by the end of June.