HIGH-TECH cameras will be used to keep an eye on yobs causing trouble at a Cheltenham taxi rank.
Taxi marshals, who patrol the area outside the Municipal Offices on Friday and Saturday nights, have been given fluorescent jackets fitted with mini CCTV cameras.
The scheme, funded by Cheltenham Community Safety Partnership, is aimed at protecting the marshals, who are often the target of abuse and even assaults from drunken revellers.
Steve Bunn, head of REP Security, which provides the marshals, welcomed the move. He said: "There have been a few incidents where taxi marshals have been the target of some pretty nasty behaviour.
"It has been an ongoing battle to get proper CCTV coverage of the area and we're really pleased to have it at last. As well as being useful to gather evidence of any incidents that take place, it will make people think twice before doing anything stupid."
The high-visibility jackets, which are emblazoned with the words 'CCTV Camera', are fitted with the tiny filming devices no more an 20mm wide. Scenes recorded through the lens are transferred onto a memory card, capable of holding hours of footage.
Dave Alsop, of Eyewitness, which supplies the £600 kit, said: "They are designed to work day or night, switching to infrared when it gets dark."
Marshals have been operating in Cheltenham for the past four years, helping to keep revellers in line while queuing for a ride home at the end of the night. They were the target of four assaults last year.
Colin Pilsworth, head of Cheltenham Night Safe, which works to reduce crime in the town centre, said: "On a busy night you can get up to 4,000 people going through the taxi rank. There is huge potential for disorder. These cameras will help us to provide our taxi marshals with more protection, keeping the town centre as safe as possible."
The equipment was piloted during Cheltenham Race Week earlier this year, when footage from one of the cameras provided evidence that led to an arrest.
Sergeant Alistair Hammett, of the town centre police team, said: "It's an important tool which will help us to do our jobs, as well as supporting other agencies in reducing harm to townsfolk at night."
Trevor Gladding, the council's community safety and licensing manager, added: "We've got a thriving night-time economy in Cheltenham and we want to give it all the support we can. This equipment is part of that."
The cameras will be in use from tomorrow night.
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/news/High-tech-cameras-monitor-yobs-taxi-rank/article-2391567-detail/article.html
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