Spy camera row erodes trust between police and residents in Birmingham
A Birmingham councillor has said community relations with the police are now so fragile that most people in Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath don’t believe a promise to remove hidden spy cameras will be delivered.
Tanveer Choudhry wants an independent expert drafted in to verify that a police pledge to take down 72 covert surveillance cameras is fulfilled.
He was speaking after it was confirmed that neither Birmingham City Council nor the Safer Birmingham Partnership have any idea where Project Champion’s covert cameras designed to track terrorism suspects are placed.
Safer Birmingham Partnership director Jackie Russell said police had “no intention” of revealing the locations.
Coun Choudhry (Lib Dem Sparkbrook) said: “The police have done more damage to community cohesion with this project than anything in the past.
“With all the lies we have had so far I would ask for an independent adjudicator to verify that the covert cameras have been taken down. Someone we can trust, someone of good standing in the community.”
Although Coun Choudhry attended a meeting with police in February 2008 where details of Project Champion were relayed, he insists no information was given about the proposed location of 144 overt and 72 covert cameras.
He added: “I can’t recall it being said that these cameras would be in Muslim areas. It was a very short discussion and I can’t recall police saying where the cameras would go.
“I am sure alarm bells would have rung if they had said they were intending to put nearly all of the cameras in Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath.
He was backed by Councillor Tahir Ali (Lab Nechells), who said: “If we don’t know the location of the covert cameras, how do we know they have been switched off?”
