Night vision cameras target dog fouling and would-be vandals in Cockfield

VANDALS and ignorant dog owners will have eight more reasons to worry in Cockfield.
A state-of-the-art £3,000 security system has been installed at the Pauline Charlton Sports Pavilion with eight 24-hour cameras in operation.
Cockfield Parish Council got funding for the 360 degree measures from the neighbourhood budgets of county councillors Heather Smith and Andy Turner. 
Cllr Smith said: “Dog fouling on the pitch is a big problem and these cameras will identify people.
“Hopefully this will do the trick by stopping the locks being glued and things like that.”
The pavilion has been branded “a magnet for troublemakers” in the past.
It survived a close shave last summer when a fire was lit in its doorway and the adjoining football field has been pot-marked by dog muck. But the high resolution zoom and night-vision capabilities have already come into their own with incidents reduced since they were put in.
Cllr Neville Singleton was impressed with the technology.
He said: “You can enlarge the pictures and, not only that, you can get a full screen mode where you can lock in and see people coming.
“It never stops and if the police want to come they can put their dongle in and take away the footage. If anyone causes any trouble we pick them up straight away and we can prosecute.”
An external light on the pavilion has already helped guide councillors in during the dark evenings.
Cllr Singleton added: “The two councillors said they’d pay out of their budgets which is absolutely fantastic.
“We are very grateful for what they’ve done.”