Protest over the removal of live CCTV monitoring in Gosport - this is when

A women’s support group is protesting against the removal of live CCTV monitoring in Gosport which it says will increase the risk it poses to women’s safety when walking in public spaces.
By Lucy Hunt
Published 5th Feb 2024, 16:51 BST
Updated 6th Feb 2024, 10:29 BST
Picture for illustrative purposes onlyPicture for illustrative purposes only
Picture for illustrative purposes only

The support group, Women Supporting Women, is leading the peaceful protest on Wednesday and has launched a petition calling for the reinstatement of the live monitoring in the town’s public areas by Gosport Borough Council to help “create a public environment where women and girls of Gosport feel safe”. It follows a decision by Fareham Borough Council to withdraw from a joint Fareham/Gosport CCTV Partnership which means that neither council have monitored live CCTV since 2022.

The group, which has 1,600 members, said in a statement: “The national strategy for reducing violence against women and girls identified CCTV and street lighting as important environmental factors that help women and girls feel safe. Cancelling CCTV monitoring without public consultation is an abuse of power by Gosport Borough Council. Only women and girls understand what it feels like to be a woman walking alone in the dark in Gosport.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It pointed to figures from the Office for National Statistics, which says that four in five women feel unsafe walking alone after dark in a park or other open public space.

Isobel, a local woman of Gosport, spoke of the impact the CCTV cut has had on her perception of safety: “I used to work in Gosport High Street and when arriving or leaving for work when it got dark earlier or when it was quieter I always felt a little safer knowing that there was live CCTV. I would think twice about going to the high street now, especially in the evening. It feels such a sad state of affairs when it comes to this.”

ALSO READ: More CCTV cameras to be installed to deter nuisance

A spokesperson for Gosport Borough Council explained that the monitoring of CCTV stopped as a result of an end of a partnership with neighbouring Fareham which covered both boroughs.

They said: The council stopped 24/7 live monitoring of CCTV images in 2021 when Fareham Borough Council withdrew from the joint Fareham/Gosport CCTV Partnership. Neither Fareham nor Gosport Councils have live monitored CCTV since 2022. However, all 44 of Gosport's CCTV cameras remain in use and continue to record images 24/7, 365 days a year. All recordings are kept for 28 days and are available to the Police if required for the investigation of any crimes and anti-social behaviour.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"No cameras have been switched-off and there are no plans to switch them off. All of Gosport's 44 CCTV cameras remain fully in use recording images every hour of every day of every week.”

The protest and the petition – which has hundreds of signatures – are backed by the town’s county councillor Lesley Meenaghan. Councillor Meenaghan said: “Working alongside police and other emergency services our CCTV colleagues proved to be a valuable resource in helping keep Gosport residents safe and deter crime. They were helping to keep residents safe and free from harm and the detaining of those who would harm others. What a dreadful situation we now find ourselves in. Gosport has its challenges. If any town needs live monitoring of CCTV surely it is Gosport?”

The protest will take place on Wednesday, February 7, starting at Gosport Ferry Gardens at 5pm and will head towards Gosport Borough Council’s offices at the town hall. You can find the petition here: https://democracy.gosport.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=500000008&RPID=9523204&HPID=9523204.