Controversial surveillance cameras to be removed

Controversial surveillance cameras set up in two predominantly Muslim neighbourhoods will start to be removed today, police said.

The 218 cameras, some of which were hidden, sparked anger from civil liberties campaigners and residents in Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath in Birmingham, where they were mainly erected.

The number plate recognition and CCTV cameras were financed under a counter-terrorism initiative but were initially marketed to locals as a general crime-prevention measure.

At a meeting of the West Midlands Police Authority in October, Chief Constable Chris Sims said the cameras should be pulled down in a bid to regain the trust of residents.

The recommendation followed an independent report's criticism of the scheme, dubbed Project Champion.

West Midlands Police said work to take down the cameras and equipment is starting today, and all cameras will be removed this month.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe said: "The work starting today shows that we have listened to what our communities wanted and acted upon those wishes.

"We have liaised closely with our communities to keep them informed of developments and when they can expect cameras to be removed from actual streets.

"I would like to stress that the cameras have never been operational.

"We accept that mistakes were made and we are keen to learn the lessons that emerged from the review into Project Champion. The removal of the cameras is part of that learning process.

"Our neighbourhood teams will now focus on forging closer links with local communities across the affected areas."

Ayoub Khan, Birmingham City Council's Cabinet member for local services and community safety, said he was pleased that the recommendations of the review into the handling of Project Champion and the voice of the community had been heard.

"I am now keen to move on and to work closely with the police and all communities across the city for a joint effort in the fight against crime and keeping our streets safe," he said.

Police said the final decision over the future use of the removed cameras will be made by the police authority, but no decision has yet been made.

Speaking in October, Mr Sims said the "support and the confidence of local communities in West Midlands Police" was the most important thing for the force in the fight against crime and terrorism.

"We can fight crime and the threat posed by terrorism far more effectively by working hand in hand with local people, rather than alienating them through a technological solution which does not have broad community support," he told West Midlands Police Authority.

The previous month an independent report by Thames Valley Police criticised the scheme for a lack of transparency and insufficient consultation.

Daniel Hamilton, director of Big Brother Watch, said today: "While we are delighted these cameras are being removed, this expensive and oppressive waste of time should never have been given the go-ahead.

"Vital civil liberties and any basic concept of privacy were both disregarded by this scheme.

"These cameras were totally unnecessary for anti-terror or anti-crime purposes and only served to alienate Muslim residents.

"Public trust in the police has been significantly undermined and will take years to rebuild."