£12,000 - that’s how much it will cost to make our streets safer

The town council has agreed to fund up to five new cameras which will be installed at recognised crime and anti-social behaviour ‘hot-spots.’

To cover the cost, councillors have earmarked an extra £7,981 to their annual CCTV budget.

The overall cost of the new system will now be £11,901.

Councillors say they have reacted to growing concerns about levels of anti social behaviour in many locations.

At a meeting two months ago, Mayor Fiona Martin - a councillor for 43 years - said crime levels were ‘unprecedented.”

Ironically, the extra expense comes as police revealed they investigated just one report of anti-social behaviour in November - and that was Covid related

The proposed sites for the new cameras are:

•Tesco car park

•Bridge Street (also to cover the Market Place)

•North Street (from the War Memorial Hospital to the Bull Ring)

•Wharf Road (to cover Lindsey Court and backs of other properties)

•Sports Pavilion car park/playing fields (Coronation Walk).

Although councillors have authorised the extra spending, Coun Martin warned there is still a lot of work to do before the new cameras are switched on.

Speaking at last week’s monthly town council meeting, she said: “We have got to go through all the processes, including getting permission.

“That might not be straightforward. We can’t just put cameras up where we feel like it.”

Coun Martin added the implications of covering private homes was one consideration - along with crime and behaviour levels at each site.

She also confirmed power supplies were a factor.

The council will hold further discussions with East Lindsey District Council’s CCTV officer, Jon Callen and will also ask police for information on crime levels at the preferred sites.

Coun Martin added: “There are also a lot of regulations about signage to actually tell people the cameras are there.

“In residential areas, you have to be very careful.

“You can’t put them looking into people’s houses.”

Town and county councillor Bill Aron suggested the camera in Wharf Road was no longer needed as some former commercial premises in Lindsey Court had been converted into private homes.

PCSO Nigel Wass said he could not recall any instances of anti-social behaviour in that area in the last 18 months.

He told the meeting police would be happy to assist with the process and welcomed the addition of the new cameras.

In recent months, police have played down suggestions from residents, business owners and councillors that crime has increased significantly.

They have urged people to report incidents and stress the town is still one of the safest in the county to live and work in.

Councillors have agreed to purchase ‘roaming’ cameras in preference to fixed cameras.

As the name suggests, the line of sight of a roaming camera’s coverage can be altered by a CCTV operative in a control room in Boston - unlike a fixed camera.

However, Coun Richard Barker questioned the effectiveness of roaming cameras.

He told last week’s meeting: “ I would still go for a fixed position in certain locations.

“As happens at the moment, there are roaming cameras in the Market Place and as far as I am aware, they haven’t picked up any of the problems over the last six months - because they are pointing in the wrong direction at the time!”

Councillors agreed to ask if the new cameras could initially be operated on a ‘fixed’ basis in certain locations, including North Street.

They also suggested County Councillor Bill Aron could help ‘smooth the way ’ - if any of the new cameras had to be located on lamposts owned by the County Council.