Barnet Conservative councillors on the Hendon Area Committee (28 June) have voted down an urgent community request to install temporary CCTV in Montrose Park to help protect children and young people this summer.

Following the tragic stabbing in Montrose Park on the last bank holiday (31 May) the local community held a ‘Safer Parks, Safer Streets’ walk and a zoom meeting to discuss an urgent plan for the summer and longer-term initiatives. CCTV and lighting were key demands to provide some reassurance and rebuild community confidence. This had previously been raised with Barnet Council following a ward panel meeting after the murder of Sarah Everard.

Burnt Oak Councillor, Sara Conway, put forward a Member’s Item to the Area Committee requesting time-limited CCTV deployment for the summer months for key areas in Montrose Park. This request was submitted because the Council’s CCTV review meant this could not be put in place until the Autumn at the earliest.

However, the Council said they were unable to supply costings for the temporary CCTV.

The Council also ruled out the Burnt Oak ward councillors submitting other initiatives put forward by the local community meeting, including a community outreach programme and network development, trauma incident training, etc. on the basis that community projects did not fit the criteria. Yet a community development proposal from the Conservative Chair of the Committee was submitted and voted through.

Cllr Conway said: “It is deeply disappointing that this community’s voice is not being heard by those with the power to bring positive change here. It is almost unbelievable that this Conservative Council can quickly deploy CCTV to protect a graveyard (which I fully supported) but cannot do this to try to help protect Burnt Oak’s children and young people. It is also almost unbelievable that this Council spent millions of pounds on the parks but failed to put in basic safety infrastructure, including responsive CCTV in vulnerable areas.”

At the meeting Councillor Conway also shared, with their permission, part of a letter local education leaders sent recently to Barnet Council which said:

“Many of our families use Montrose and Silkstream parks as they do not have direct access to private gardens. Families were wary of taking their younger children to the open spaces before the incidents due to the increase in anti-social behaviours (ASB). However, many feel they are now trapped in their homes as they do not believe the local area is a safe space. Those who do venture out have shared with us that they are constantly looking over their shoulders, ‘waiting for something bad to kick off’.

“The huge investment from the local council in helping to create a beautiful and inviting space has resulted in this area being very open and unsupervised and therefore, unfortunately, an increase in ASB.

“It is imperative that the people who live in the local area feel their voices are being heard by leaders who are committed to delivering the vision of Barnet being ‘family friendly’.”

Ends.

Notes:
For a copy of Cllr Conway’s member’s item for CCTV see: https://barnet.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s65483/Members%20Items%20-%20Applications%20for%20NCIL.pdf