Number plate cameras backed in Ingleby Barwick to track criminals

Town councillors voted unanimously to pay for an arsenal of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) devices for the estate on Tuesday night – provided the police send a letter confirming they’ll use the footage. 

Members agreed to the purchase of six cameras at an initial cost of just over £14,000 – with £2,880 annual maintenance payments. 

They will be installed at Ingleby’s three main entrances and exits off Queen Elizabeth Way, Thornaby Road-Ingleby Way, and the Ingleby Manor roundabout at Low Lane-Barwick Way. 

The aim is for the devices to track night-time criminals driving onto the estate.

Councillors also hope they will act as a deterrent – and that a zoom lens on mobile parts of the devices will track cases of anti-social behaviour in real time. 

Independent councillor Ted Strike has rallied to have cameras installed on estate entrances for more than five years. 

A string of break-ins and vehicle thefts in November saw him make a fresh plea to councillors last year. 

He was delighted at the decision and thanked Stockton Council officers for their help. 

Cllr Strike said: “I’m looking forward to seeing the cameras in the coming weeks and months.”

Rounding off, he added: “Open the champagne.”

Almost an hour and a half of debate came before councillors voted on the purchase. 

There was a caveat agreed by six votes to four to only proceed once Cleveland Police had sent a letter to the town council assuring them the devices would be used.

“Criminals aren’t stupid”

Questions have been raised in the past about the camera plan – with doubts about how data would be stored, and their effectiveness in stopping determined criminals. 

Not all those in attendance were entirely convinced the cameras would work.

Cllr Ken Dixon, Stockton councillor for the west ward, had his doubts following conversations between Ingleby Barwick Independent Society (IBIS) members and another police officer.

The former policeman said: “We’ve not been consulted – all we were told is they wanted to put cameras on various entrances and exits to Ingleby Barwick.

“We put that to various officers and there wasn’t a consensus of opinion they were going to do any good.”

He added: “You can stick them but criminals aren’t stupid. They can wear disguises, change number plates, get in taxis and you’ll review something which doesn’t produce anything.

“But it’s down to the members of the town council to decide.

“It will be interesting to see the benefits in six or 12 months and whether they justify the amount spent.”

24/7 operation

Councillors were told the cameras would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and be monitored from the CCTV control centre in Stockton town centre.

Jamie Stephenson, from Stockton Council’s enforcement service, said the devices would provide high definition images and could track footage when the operators weren’t watching. 

He told the council they would have to ensure clear lines of sites at the three locations and carry out privacy impact assessments before devices were installed. 

Councillors also heard registration plates could be found “in seconds” when searching through footage from ANPR cameras. 

Mr Stephenson added the council worked closely with Cleveland Police and that cameras were used to help the force on a daily basis. 

“They are used efficiently and they do help detect and deter crime,” he added.

However, the official said cameras “weren’t the be all and end all” of solving all crime.

Mr Stephenson said: “People will wear balaclavas, people put masks on now and there is sunlight on windscreens on sunlight on registration plates which are out of our control.”

“An experiment” 

Cllr Strike said Cllr Dixon only had “the basic facts” on the camera scheme – saying he’d spoken to Chief Inspector Chris Smiles and Inspector Jon Willoughby about the devices.

Cllr Rick Turnbull believed the police opinion offered by Cllr Dixon should be “completely squashed” and “taken out of the equation”.

Figures from 2019 show both the east and west ward of Ingleby Barwick had some of the lowest levels of crime in the borough. 

The committee was told the ANPR devices had three “pan tilt zoom cameras” on top of them which could swivel 360 degree to track criminals.

They also heard how a similar existing camera on Nolan House, in Newtown, could see people walking up Roseberry Topping from a distance of 10 miles. 

It’s understood it will be the first time authority ANPR cameras are used on a residential estate in the borough.

Chairman James Emmerson conceded the move would be “an experiment to an extent” – with monitoring needed on how the devices performed.

Stockton Council officials urged the councillors to keep an eye on them – suggesting they could be moved at a cost of £400 each time if they weren’t doing the job. 

Cllr Kevin Faulks, Ingleby Barwick Independent Society (IBIS) member for the west ward, backed the town council’s decision.

He added: “Congratulations to all the town councillors for voting for the cameras.”