Improved street lighting cuts more crime than CCTV

Street lighting is up to seven times more effective than closed-circuit television systems at reducing crime, Home Office research shows.

Street lighting is up to seven times more effective than closed-circuit television systems at reducing crime, Home Office research shows.

Studies found that CCTV cut crime only by a "small degree" but improved lighting in public spaces can reduce offences by almost one-third.

The research has important implications for the Government's anti-crime strategies, which have poured hundreds of millions of pounds into CCTV systems over recent years in the belief that they were the best deterrent.

The Home Office report published yesterday concluded: "CCTV had a significant desirable effect on crime, although the overall reduction in crime was a rather small 4 per cent. It was found that CCTV had no effect on violent crimes, but had a significant desirable effect on vehicle crimes."

In urban areas, CCTV had a "negligible" effect on crime, leading it to fall by 2 per cent, it said. But cameras in car parks led to a significant 41 per cent fall in offences.

Another study found street lighting in Britain cut crime by 30 per cent, although when other studies from the US were taken into account the figure fell to 20 per cent. The report said: "Street lighting benefits the whole neighbourhood rather than particular individuals or households.

"It is not a physical barrier to crime, it has no adverse civil liberties implications and it can increase public safety and effective use of neighbourhood streets at night. The financial savings from reduced crimes greatly exceeded the financial costs of the improved lighting."

John Denham, a Home Office minister, defended the widespread deployment of cameras. "Increasingly, CCTV plays an important role not just in deterring crime, but in detecting it," he said. "We will continue to evaluate how we can make best use of CCTV and street lighting, whether it's to reduce fear of crime for the public or to provide valuable evidence for the police."

A spokesman for the crime reduction charity Nacro said: "We welcome the publication of the Home Office report which vindicates our own findings into CCTV's use as a crime prevention tool.

"Crime prevention packages need to be carefully planned and executed to succeed and should combine a variety of technologies and methods. The report stresses the need for adequate evaluation, which given the levels of investment in CCTV, is crucial in determining how and where it should be used."