Town councilors and police patrols in the Czech town of Břeclav are praising the CCTV system that has been running in the town since the new year. They have managed to solve 40 illegal acts thanks to the footage, from shoplifting to vandalism.
The CCTV footage has also become evidence in cases of accidents or damage to street signs, patrolman Zdeněk Novák said. According to council spokesperson Eliška Windová, petty crime, vandalism and graffiti were a big problem in the town, the results of which were costing up to CZK 50 000 monthly to clean up. She now wants cameras to cover other parts of town.
The camera system is installed for the time being on the main avenue leading from the train station to the main square. "Thanks to the cameras, we were immediately able to twice observe and document shoplifting that the staffs of the stores concerned didn’t even notice," Novák said. Those running the cameras also noticed a man behind the wheel of a car whom they knew had been banned from driving.
The impulse for building up a camera system was last year’s allegation that a teenager had been assaulted by Romani people in Břeclav. Even though it was later proven that the boy had fabricated the incident, the town did not back away from the idea.
"The cameras have really proven their value. That’s why we want to set up another three camera points near the reservoir and in the area of Riegrova, Na zahradách and Krátká streets," Windová said.
All of the cameras are linked to a new center set up by the town, where dispatchers evaluate the footage. "We proposed to shop owners that if they set up a camera at the entrance to their business, they can then link it to our center," Windová said.
Another 12 cameras are reportedly slated for installation at the Na Valtické housing estate. Most of the troubled parts of town will then be covered.
