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takyon writes:

Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter has told the BBC that local councils in England and Wales are turning off CCTV cameras in order to cut costs. According to the Independent, "One West Midlands council had deactivated a third of its cameras [by studying crime statistics and identifying areas where they were not needed], saving £250,000 in the process":

Councils in England and Wales are turning off CCTV cameras in an attempt to cut costs, a surveillance watchdog has warned. Tony Porter, the surveillance camera commissioner, said switching off cameras would mean the police would find it harder to detect crime. He told the BBC the situation was a "concern" and blamed the government's austerity cuts "sweeping the country". He is due to present his findings to the government in the autumn. Mr Porter, who is the commissioner for England and Wales, said budget cuts had led councils to decide to spend less on public space CCTV, meaning there was less money for staff training, poorer understanding of legal issues and a reduced service.

In a separate interview with the Independent, Mr Porter said: "There are an increasing number of examples where councils and employees are citing a lack of money as being the rationale to reduce the service or completely change its composition - and that does concern me. "Because CCTV isn't a statutory function, it is something a lot of councils are looking at. Most people recognise the utility of CCTV for supporting law enforcement. To degrade the capacity may have an impact on police. It may well be that they will find it increasingly difficult to acquire the images that will help them investigate crimes."

The UK has one of the largest number of CCTV cameras in the world. The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) estimates there are between 4 and 5.9 million cameras, with around one in 70 publicly owned.

In a speech to the CCTV User Group conference this week, [Mr. Porter] warned of misuse of cameras in some local authority areas. He said: "I've seen councils in large towns like Blackpool and Derby stop monitoring their systems 24-7. My understanding is that this is not as the result of a review or public consultation but simply to save money. "And as austerity measures continue to bite on public space CCTV will we see a deterioration of standards and training?"

The role of the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, as described by the man himself in a recent letter to all chief executives of local authorities:

The role of the Surveillance Camera Commissioner was created under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, appointed by the Home Secretary and independent of Government. As Commissioner I am required to ensure that surveillance camera systems, such as CCTV and ANPR, are used in accordance with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice (a copy is enclosed with this letter).