I was contacted yesterday by a charity operator based in Middle Street, Blackhall Colliery asking if CCTV coverage throughout the village might be effective in addressing residents' concerns of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
We know from a recent informal survey carried out online that one of the main priorities of our residents' and business owners is keeping our streets safe and free from crime and anti-social behaviour so we've written to Durham police and the Safe Durham Partnership asking for their thoughts on a proposal to install CCTV cameras in the village.
It's recognised that CCTV doesn't always hold out the perfect solution in all cases, and there have even been examples of local resistance to similar proposals elsewhere, however we feel that because this is a priority for our residents and businesses it at least warrants further consideration by the authorities.
An update will be published on this site in due course.