Written question asked by Philip Davies (Conservative) on Monday, 15 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 October 2007. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 October 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Detection Rates: CCTV

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of CCTV cameras on crime detection in areas where they have been introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: Case studies and good practice clearly indicate that CCTV has a role to play in crime reduction and detection.The most recent Home Office evaluation of CCTV was carried out in 2005. (Gill, M., and Spriggs, A. (2005) Assessing the Impact of CCTV. Home Office Research Study 292. London: Home Office),"www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hors292.pdf"The Home Office has no figures available on the extent of, or success of the use of CCTV in the context of the prosecution of offenders who commit offences.

Secondary information