Okehampton’s new CCTV cameras could be installed within the next two months, the town council heard on Monday (November 28), as the second phase of the CCTV initiative draws to a close.

Okehampton Town Councillor Tony Leech informed the council that the light columns were now in place and he was now waiting on the electrician to fit the cameras, though it was possible that the upcoming Christmas holiday could delay the installation.

He described the update as ‘short and sweet in as much as all the posts that are required to take the cameras have been replaced.’

Emma James, the town clerk, added that after speaking to the electrician she thought it likely that the work would be completed either this month or in January 2023.

In moves which showed the importance of the cameras to the town, councillors agreed to approve the proposition that a £15,000 grant from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner be put towards the CCTV budget and discussed the possibility of purchasing a second mobile CCTV camera.

However, councillors resolved to delay a final decision on the purchase of a second mobile CCTV camera after hearing that there had been some temporary problems capturing good quality images from the current mobile camera which is situated behind Lidl.

Mrs James said: ‘The camera behind Lidl wasn’t recording continuously for long enough and wasn’t capturing the whole picture. It has been changed and now only records when there’s movement, but it could mean that it misses things happening before and after something happening.’

Councillors agreed that it might be prudent to wait and see how well the adaptations work before buying a second camera.

This news brings to an end a long-awaited initiative to set up more CCTV cameras in Okehampton in order to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Okehampton currently has six CCTV cameras, including some in Simmons Park which were installed after the town saw an increase in the amount of anti-social behaviour particularly among young people after the covid lockdowns.

Since the cameras were installed, police have used the footage to crack down on vandalism and other forms of anti-social behaviour and were able to identify the culprits of several vandalism incidents that have occurred throughout the year.

This included those responsible for three separate vandalism incidents which resulted in the destruction of the book swap and an overturned picnic, damage to the plants at Fairplace and damage to a bin in Simmons Park.

When news of the police’s success broke, officers confirmed that ‘positive action had been taken’ and that the culprits received a community resolution, a way of settling minor offences outside court, and agreed to contribute towards the cost of repairing the damage.

Vandals have previously targeted the park’s zipwire and attacked several park keepers forcing them to wear body cameras for their protection.