The Holylands’ CCTV cameras will only be watched on key dates

A lack of new investment has resulted in the downgrading of Holylands CCTV.

The PSNI are unable to observe the cameras at the level they originally did and are only prepared to commit to recording capacity for 5 strategically placed cameras out of the 12 cameras around the Holylands. Live monitoring of these cameras will only take place over key dates throughout the year – St. Patrick’s Day, Freshers’ and Halloween.

The CCTV was installed initially in March 2010 after a range of incidents around St. Patrick’s Day. The issue of student behaviour in the area has been a contentious issue for both Queen’s and Ulster University in the past with students advised to leave Belfast for Paddy’s day.

A review into the CCTV said there was reluctance to consider reinvesting in a system that has not provided tangible evidence of its impact over the years.

It claimed security cameras by themselves were not effective in dealing with antisocial behaviour with suggestions of a multi-agency partnership between universities, police and the council as the most effective way of dealing with issues in the Holylands.

Holylands resident and Computer Science third year, Mark McKinless said: “You’d think they’d try and reduce crime in the Holylands since people constantly refer to it as a problem area, yet making it common knowledge that there’s even less surveillance in it now will probably lead to more crime”

Belfast City Council told The Tab: “None of the funders or partners of the original scheme currently have any financial resource to contribute toward the urgent upgrade needed to ensure the Holylands CCTV system operates at an acceptable level.”

The decision to relax security measures in the Holylands will come as a surprise after a spate of arson attacks around Freshers 2014 attacking both vehicles and properties in the area.