We cannot safeguard our homes

That the police have asked people living on the estate to look at installing CCTV systems, costing hundreds of pounds to keep their homes safe.

And, concludes Wednesbury North councillor Tony Meehan: “I would encourage people to do what they can to prevent it.

“If they can afford CCTV it is something to think about but it has to be within their budget.

“It is a pity there are too many houses for the council to do anything about it.”

The truth is Sandwell Homes/council do not welcome nor encourage tenants to have CCTV in Wednesbury.

We live in fear even though we have CCTV.

We are not being allowed to safeguard our cars, etc, on the street, or to capture any anti-social behaviour outside our driveway from anyone.

We have had our fence pulled down, taxis reversing on our drive into fence in early hours, scrap collectors entering garden and smashing items up to take only metal and, incidentally, damaged our car, and taken radiators and other items I store on the garden.

But their faces are usually covered or obscured.

We would feel more safe and have a better chance of identifying these people if the CCTV was allowed to show the roads and streets, as well as identifying them under street lights or via their vehicle number plates.

The recently vacated caretaker’s house at Mesty Croft School, St Luke’s Road, Wednesbury, is tenanted and they have recently installed CCTV that captured the bogus council worker’s van where he conned the disabled lady out of money on her door step, which was shown on Central News.

These cameras are a total opposite of what we have been made to do with ours.

When I questioned Sandwell housing officer recently at our home he did not comment.

So it seems to be only some of us who have to adhere to this council policy.

In closing, if you were contemplating purchasing CCTV after reading the newspaper report above, save your money.

Instead, move to a borough that allows CCTV to fully protect your homes and gardens.

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