Julian shares this latest news on behalf of Ryde Labour. Ed
At a meeting of Ryde Town Council on Monday 3rd September, Councillors expressed concern about consistent anti-social behaviour including threats to the public, taking place at the Ryde seafront.
Local residents have asked for CCTV cameras to be used to try and address the issue.
No access to cameras
At the meeting, the local police representative confirmed that the police do see CCTV as an effective deterrent.
However, the officer also pointed out that the local police no longer have access to deployable cameras.
Police budget slashed
Ryde Labour Chair and Ryde Town Councillor, Sue Lyons, said:
“People sometimes seem to think our campaign against austerity policies is some academic argument. But it’s not. Austerity is the cutting back of essential public services, such as the police.
“Because of the Conservative Government austerity policies, the police budget on the Island has been slashed to the point that they can no longer even deploy cameras to deter anti-social behaviour and keep our community safe.
“Nationally, we have seen 21,000 police officers cut since 2010. We’ve also lost 7,000 neighbourhood police officers in just three years. The police cutbacks on the Island itself are well-known and worrying.
“This is what austerity means on the frontline of public services, and it is not acceptable. The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens, and this government is failing to do that.”
Image: westmidlandspolice under CC BY 2.0
