CONCERNS have been raised over whether CCTV coverage at Brunel Quay is actually helping crack down on crime.

Last year, Neyland Town Council spent more than £5,000 on a four-camera CCTV system, which included one Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera, to try and tackle the longstanding problem of ‘boy racers’ in the area.

But local PCSO Leanne Nicholls, who is responsible for viewing the footage, recently contacted the council with concerns that the camera is not able to clearly make out number plates of cars entering the car park.

“It’s supposed to be able to pick up car number plates, so not being able to do that defeats the object of having it,” she said.

“It’s all well and good an officer witnessing an incident, but having the CCTV footage is the best form of evidence.”

A spokesman for the town council said they were now working with Milford Haven-based firm OCON – which supplied the cameras – Dyfed-Powys Police, and site owners Pembrokeshire County Council to resolve the problem.

“We are actively trying to do something about it,” she said, adding that there was no point having the cameras if they did not help reduce crime.

She said an engineer from OCON had been out to assess the cameras, and explained that they were set up to cover as wide an area as possible.

In order to focus in on number plates, she was told they would need to be adjusted to cover a smaller area, meaning coverage would be reduced.

Andrew Davies, managing director of OCON, said: “OCON’s remit was to install cameras to monitor the Brunel statue and activity within the car park area including cars entering and leaving.

“The cameras are operating effectively within the terms of this brief.”

In October, police were given new powers to move ‘boy racers’ and troublemakers on from Brunel Quay, which has been a hot-spot for trouble since 2011.

The first of its kind to be granted across Dyfed-Powys, the Section 30 dispersal order covers Picton Road, part of High Street, Station Road, Green Lane Car Park, Brunel Quay and Dolphin Court.

It means groups of two or more people believed to be displaying ‘anti-social behaviour’ can be made to leave the area if asked to do so by a police office or Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).