Council installs CCTV cameras inside homes to tackle street yobs

A south London borough has installed CCTV cameras inside private homes - to spy on the street outside, it was revealed today.

Residents in Croydon have agreed to the move in an attempt to prosecute yobs causing anti-social behaviour.

But critics said the extension of surveillance was only needed because police had failed to tackle the problem.

Under a trial scheme, Croydon Council in south London has installed cameras in two homes.

Each £1,000 device is linked to a laptop computer and accessible online by police and council officials 24 hours a day.

A council spokesman said the cameras would allow the authorities to respond quickly to anti-social behaviour and gather evidence for criminal prosecutions.

He denied they would be used to spy on neighbours and said more cameras could be installed if the pilot proves a success.

Coun Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for community safety, said: "No one should have to put up with antisocial behaviour on their doorstep, and these cameras give us another means of responding quickly if it occurs.

"We already have an extensive range of CCTV equipment, but we want to be able to respond to communities' needs for surveillance as quickly as possible should they arise.

"These new CCTV kits give us another weapon to fight anti-social behaviour quickly when we need to do so, and we'll be working together with the police to put them to best use."

But Alex Deane, director of Big Brother Watch, warned the cameras would create a "culture of fear and mistrust".

He said: "People accept these cameras into their homes because they are afraid.

"The council might be installing them with the best intentions, but the end result is a culture of fear and mistrust driven by a failure on the part of the borough and the police to have proper law enforcement in this area.

"Better to have real action from the failing authorities than to extend once more our surveillance society."