|
Jail term is a triumph for Metro cctv
Nexus today welcomed a custodial sentence for an 18 year-old who set fire to a pensioner’s hair on the Metro - and said the conviction was a triumph for its digital cctv network. New figures show violent incidents and vandalism is falling sharply on Metro thanks to cctv, increased patrols by staff and an Alcohol Exclusion Zone set up one year ago. Mike Parker, Director General of Nexus, said troublemakers were getting the message: "Commit crime on the system and you will get caught - and punished." The digital cameras picked out Phillip Wooton at Sunderland Station moments after he attacked his victim, and when the high-quality images were published in the media he had no option but to turn himself in to police. He had been recognised from the images by both his family and his employer, who contacted police. Wooton was sent to a young offenders’ institution for two years at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted causing grievous bodily harm. Nexus has also banned Wooton from its property for life. Today’s court case is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents on the Metro cleared up with the help of cctv technology. Director General of Nexus, Mike Parker, said: “Serious assaults on the Metro system are rare but when they do occur we work hard with the police and media to bring the culprits to justice. “We welcome a custodial sentence. Any form of crime on the Metro is unacceptable, but this was particularly cowardly. ”This was a one-in-a-billion attack on a very safe system. There were only 16 robberies and assaults on the Sunderland section of the Metro in the whole year to the end of September, on a line used by 4.3 million passengers. He added: “This is another triumph for our improved cctv network. The cameras meant the police could pinpoint the offender and release the image to the media, within hours of that happening both his family and his employers had recognised him and he had no choice but to go to the police.” “The vastly improved cctv system has been successful in reducing crime and the fear of crime on Metro. The footage is also a useful tool in helping the police to mount successful prosecutions and that will continue.” Mr Parker urged passengers to use the new Metro text-message emergency number to report incidents of anti-social behaviour on the system if they do not wish to dial 999. The number, launched in August and displayed in carriages, is (0191) 203-3666. Thanks to funding from the Home Office Nexus has spent £8.5m revamping its cctv system, some 550 cameras. The network is closely monitored by staff at the Metro Control Centre based in Gosforth, Newcastle, as well as five local authority control rooms. Combined with extra patrols by Nexus Travel Support Officers and a system-wide alcohol ban crime on Metro has fallen, with incidents of violence down by 25 percent and criminal damage 20 percent over the last year, according to the latest police statistics. Continuous monitoring of passengers also shows they feel safer and are seeing fewer groups of teenagers on the system.
|
