CRYSTAL PEAKS DONATES LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO THORPE GREEN

Waterthorpe residents are celebrating today after the launch of a community safety initiative as Sheffield's Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre donated a state-of-the-art CCTV system to the Thorpe Green Meeting Rooms situated on Ochre Dyke Lane near the 'Hawk & Dove' public house.

Monitoring will now take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the unit will hold a bank of 4 multiple t.v. screens and features ultramodern surveillance equipment. The CCTV cameras are located in strategic locations throughout the building and consist of 4 wall mounted dome cameras (giving a 360 degree view) to the front, sides and one to the rear to enable visibility down the alley to the back of the building.

Residents spokesperson Pauline Hall said, "It's just brilliant, and truly a very positive development after 3 years of the TARA trying and one all the residents will welcome. It will be as if we have our own twenty-four hour, seven day a week beat officer with us at all times. There are a lot of elderly people on our estate and some felt intimidated by gangs of youths - girls and boys, drinking, shouting, becoming noisy and sometimes using quite aggressive behavior - even to the extent of smashing windows. The commissioning of this new system will make a substantial contribution to community safety will play a major role in keeping residents safe. Proactive monitoring and liaising it will further assist South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield City Council in tackling this anti-social behaviour. We already know that these cameras will make a real difference."

Local MP Clive Betts, said "Over the last few years Thorpe Green Meeting Rooms had developed an unfortunate reputation as one of the potential trouble spots in my constituency so I am pleased and delighted that finally the local residents will be able to enjoy the protection of a state of the art, new CCTV system. This will make a tremendous contribution to cutting crime and disorder in this part of Waterthorpe."

Centre Manager, Chris Jones commented, “Following on from our prestigious CommunityMark award, this is yet another example of Crystal Peaks’ commitment to the community. We know only too well at the Shopping Centre that although in isolation CCTV will not completely solve or resolve all the issues, it does indeed act as an effective deterrent tool for early detection. I believe it will greatly enhance the ability of all agencies to work more effectively and efficiently together and assist in making our communities a safer place to live.”

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