CCTV fails to identify vandals

by Lisa Reeves

Monday 5^th June 2017

Mon 5^th Jun 2017

Police have reviewed the CCTV footage to try and identify the culprits after a sculpture in the town centre was vandalised for the second time.

As reported on wilmslow.co.uk last week, The Pear on Alderley Road, which was carved by Wilmslow sculptor Keith Carter Harris, was hit by vandals for the second time in less than three years.

In July 2014, just a month after it was installed, The Pear was destroyed by vandals. After which is was repaired and a more solid construction was been designed.

A police spokesperson said "The Council CCTV has been reviewed, three males can be seen near the sculpture but unfortunately the footage is not good enough for any facial identification as the cameras were not following them. They were caught as the cameras were moving around on their presets.

"Unfortunately, we have no further lines of enquiry at this time as there are no other external CCTV cameras on the shops in the vicinity of the sculpture."

Tags:: CCTV, The Pear, Vandalism

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Nigel Slater

Monday 5^th June 2017 at 11:22 am

Make the image public, someone might recognise the idiot.

Dave Cash

Monday 5^th June 2017 at 12:33 pm

From the Minutes of WTC Community & Order Comm. held 20 March 2015
"Stuart Hobson, CCTV Manager at Cheshire East Council introduced himself and advised members on the 3rd Quarter CCTV report. Mr Hobson offered to simplify the terminology in future to aid the reading of the report.
It was reported that two cameras in the town had been upgraded and coverage was reported to be good with no need for any additional cameras. It was reported that during the quarter only one camera had been out of operation and it had been promptly repaired.

Discussion on the main camera hotspot.

It was agreed that the report should be repeated in six months’ time."

WTC make a significant contribution to cost of providing CCTV for the Town.

Peter Evans

Monday 5^th June 2017 at 7:38 pm

This is staggeringly incompetent. What's the point of CCTV if you can't make any use of the images? So, who tested it when it was installed? Coverage isn't the same as clarity and ability to identify people. Why is it no surprise that CEC were involved... wasting more of our money, again. Give the man to blame a £200k redundancy pay off (on second thoughts, don't print that as they probably will take that idea seriously). You can't this stuff up...

Julian Barlow

Wednesday 7^th June 2017 at 4:18 pm

Thus the point of having CCTV is?

Jon Armstrong

Wednesday 7^th June 2017 at 7:06 pm

It doesn't say there was a lack of clarity, it says "footage is not good enough for any facial identification as the cameras were not following them. They were caught as the cameras were moving around on their presets", implying that the cameras were pointing at something else and not focused on the suspects at that time and so they didn't get a good facial shot. Perhaps the actual toppling of the sculpture wasn't captured at all, at which point even if you could identify the people "near" it how could you prove it was they who toppled it.

CCTV can't cover every thing that happens in Wilmslow at all times and from all angles. There are always going to be times when details are missed, but that doesn't make it worthless.

Not that it excuses anything, but it does seem the construction wasn't particularly solid if it could simply be pushed over. I saw it last weekend and there didn't look to be any tool marks or impact marks. I very much doubt three men could push over a post box, for example, which must be of a similar size.

Terry Roeves

Wednesday 7^th June 2017 at 7:14 pm

Camera image sensor resolution, lens focal length, distance, light level etc etc. Chances are that this was at night.
Abbey in NCIS can clean up images a treat and with the appropriate software so can CEC/Cheshire Police.
However in the current climate, how high up is it on the priority list?

Jonathan Hayes

Monday 12^th June 2017 at 10:42 am

Why not release the images they have and let us all see if the CCTV is fit for purpose. Maybe if one of the three men can be identified and then the police interview as a potential witness it would uncover someones identity and a possible witness who would stand up in court and give evidence?? Or maybe lets just decided its a waste of time and give up at the first hurdle because lets face it making an effort is sooooo much hard work, its not as if its costing anyone any money!!!!!