Police boss criticised over 'inaccurate' CCTV comments

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) "jumped the gun" when he said councils declined to partner with him on a plan to modernise a county's CCTV network, it has been claimed.

Matthew Barber warned that without the backing of Oxfordshire's authorities the upgrade could not go ahead, as West Oxfordshire District Council was the only one to agree.

But several councils told the BBC they were still looking at the offer.

Georgina Heritage, at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: "The PCC has jumped the gun on his own deadline in the press and on social media."

Mr Barber insisted his plan would save councils money in the long term, and result in up-to-date equipment and longer operating hours.

Local councils currently manage the CCTV in their areas, and will have to contribute financially to the new scheme alongside the PCC's investment of about £275,000 across the districts and city.

Mr Barber wants to "consolidate all the CCTV" in one location, operated by police staff to provide a closer link with police officers on the ground, as he has done with Milton Keynes and Slough.

Ms Heritage, who is cabinet member for communities, said: "We remain in active and positive discussion with officials on the details of the scheme.

"Our cabinet has agreed in principle, and we have been, like the other councils, working in private to negotiate - in good faith - the best deal for our area."

She said the council already ran a "highly effective local CCTV system" and invested money in upgrading town centre cameras as part of a £160,000 scheme.

"Whilst the hub will bring us many benefits, building on our current investments, it is not without significant ongoing costs for the councils involved," she added.

Bethia Thomas, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: "We were very surprised to see headlines suggesting councils had turned down funding – nobody has done anything of the sort, in fact we've been in open and constructive dialogue to find a positive and workable outcome."

She said the authority's aim, "like most of the other councils involved" was to meet its "best value duty on our liabilities for costs elsewhere, protect our staff and ultimately find a consensus that works for all - which is all part of a standard contract negotiation process".

"It is not unreasonable to conclude we all have legitimate concerns that need to be addressed before contracts are signed", she said.

Lubna Arshad, cabinet member for a Safer Oxford at Oxford City Council, said: "Everything was going absolutely fine and then this press release comes out, so that's why we're very disappointed that this statement is untrue and factually incorrect."

Rob Parkinson, in charge of safer communities at Cherwell District Council, said it was "inaccurate" to say it had "refused any funding offer", and that the "council remains committed to working with Thames Valley Police to deliver CCTV upgrades".

But Mr Barber told the BBC: "I'm really disappointed because I want to land this.

"This isn't about the contracts and the deadlines, this is about getting something done for the public."

He said since the councils had missed the deadline, he would be diverting the funds to other initiatives, though West Oxfordshire would still receive its money if the partnership went ahead.

"I still hope we can deliver the project overall," he said. "This is about the long term, not just about the one-year transition funding."

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