VANDALS have attacked the car of a lifeboat crew member attending an emergency along the Suffolk coast.A public meeting held at Aldeburgh church hall on Saturday was told how the “lowlife” targeted the car of the second coxswain, Steve Saint, when his wife took him to an emergency.

By Richard Smith

VANDALS have attacked the car of a lifeboat crew member attending an emergency along the Suffolk coast.

A public meeting held at Aldeburgh church hall on Saturday was told how the “lowlife” targeted the car of the second coxswain, Steve Saint, when his wife took him to an emergency.

This was one of several incidents worrying residents and a “straw poll” among the audience at the meeting resulted in a majority calling for CCTV – but money will be needed to buy and maintain cameras for the town.

The town council, which arranged the meeting to look at numerous issues, has met with police officers to discuss bringing the crime-fighting technology to Aldeburgh.

Councillor Tony Graham-Enock told the meeting at the Victoria Road hall: “The police will not pay; it will be up to us. So the question is do we want CCTV in this town and do we want to pay for it?

“The cost is about £17,500 plus running costs, which are not huge. It is possible we will get grants and we will try our hardest to get them – we have already reduced the cost by £1,500.

“We have spoken to Aldeburgh Business Association as to whether they would contribute but, as an aside, they have undertaken a traffic management survey so all their resources are in there at the moment.

“The sort of things it would solve include the problems at the primary school field where young people go with their cars and tear up the field, problems at Fort Green and on Crag Path.”

Derek Simonds, a former town councillor, said: “Liquor is a problem and it is quite common in a lot of towns for licensed premises to contribute to CCTV and I think we should explore that.”

The cameras could also target litter louts ruining the town's appearance. Litter has been strewn over the beach with a barbecue, fishing hooks, cans and other items left.

The money would pay for two portable cameras on broadband internet which can pan 360 degrees. It would cost about £2,000 annually to maintain the equipment.

Suffolk police has stated it was keen to establish CCTV in all the main towns in the Leiston policing sector and, although Aldeburgh had a relatively low crime rate, the cameras could be a valuable tool in gathering evidence and acting as a deterrent. Leiston could require nine cameras.

In Woodbridge a long-running campaign by traders and residents to bring CCTV into the town has failed to win the support of the town council who recently voted against the principle of installing the crime-busting technique.

richard.smith@eadt.co.uk