Program Profile: CCTV in Gillingham, England

This program consists of using closed-circuit television cameras in the town center and adjacent car parks, or parking lots, in Gillingham, England. The program is rated Promising. The treatment area where the cameras were installed experienced a statistically significant reduction in overall crime, compared with the comparison area.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

Program Goal/Target Site

The public spaces in Gillingham, England’s High Street and the town center car parks, or parking lots, were selected for closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) installation in order to reduce criminal activity in public spaces and increase feelings of safety for members of the community.

Program Components

At the time of the study, Gillingham was a combination of a market town and a suburban center and thus represented a slightly different venue than the metropolitan city areas often selected for CCTV installation.

In 1997, seven CCTV cameras were installed along High Street, much of which is a pedestrian zone, and in the adjacent car parks. The cameras could be used to identify individuals, groups, and car plate numbers in the majority of High Street and the car parks. Security staff monitored the cameras 24 hours each day, one operator per shift.

Program Theory

Crime prevention theory suggests that CCTV can reduce crime rates by increasing the probability that those committing an offense will be caught; by increasing the perceived risk of offending; by increasing usage of space, which can, in turn, increase natural surveillance; and by increasing the effective deployment of police and security personnel (Griffiths 2006).

Study

Griffiths (2006) used a quasi-experimental design with a comparison group to assess the impact of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) in Gillingham, England’s town center on crime rates. The comparison group area, Strood, England, was equivalent and matched on different variables, such as resident population, economically active residents aged 16–59, value-added tax (VAT) registered enterprises, VAT registered enterprises by industry, employee jobs, income support claims, indices of deprivation, and crime rates. There were no statistically significant differences in these variables between the treatment and comparison group areas.

The study used Medway (a division of Kent in England) Police Business Information Unit’s data of reported crime rates in both the treatment and comparison group areas; these rates were tracked for 5 years. The main statistical analysis was a comparison of average annual totals of specific categories of crime between the two areas. No subgroup analysis was conducted.

Other actions (e.g., improved lighting in key areas, a neighborhood watch scheme) had already been taken in Gillingham as part of a regeneration effort, which was initiated in 1994.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance

Public surveillance systems include a network of cameras and components for monitoring, recording, and transmitting video images. Public surveillance cameras are designed to reduce both property and personal crime. This practice is rated Promising for reducing overall crime, property crime, and vehicle crime, and rated No Effects for impacting violent crime.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

	Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types
	Crime & Delinquency - Property offenses
	Crime & Delinquency - Vehicle crime
	Crime & Delinquency - Violent offenses

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?