1
Apr
2014
By Calvin at 08:33 GMT, 10 years ago
14 Mums living in Marlow, Buckinghamshire have volunteered to take part in a unique crime prevention project, dubbed ‘Pram Watch’.
Marlow’s local crime fighting group ‘Mums Against Delinquency’ have agreed to have miniature IP cameras installed into their babies’ prams and pushchairs to help local police monitor the High Street during the day. The battery powered cameras wirelessly send their images to the internet from where they can be played back later should there be an incident in the High Street requiring police or local authority attention.
April Hurst, spokesperson for Mums Against Delinquency, said “When I heard about this pilot project I simply couldn’t wait to volunteer my pram.
I live just off the High Street and to think that at the same time as I’m meeting my friends for a croissant or going to my hair appointment I’m fighting crime.
The only drawback is the weight of the battery, but that’s a small price to pay for keeping the streets of Marlow safer.”
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said “The cut-backs to police budgets have been challenging and we’ve had to come up with innovative ways to patrol the streets.
“Marlow’s Mums are out and about most days and it’s great to think that without any extra effort they can now use their pushchairs to prevent crime.
“A lot of people have mistakenly thought that ‘Pram Watch’ was all about looking after each other’s prams, nothing more than a walk in the park, but this notion could not be further from the truth. Pram Watch is a serious crime fighting tool and because we know it’s going to be successful this project will be rolled out across the UK in the coming months”
The pilot is to run throughout April and volunteer Mums have been asked to stagger their coffee meetings with friends to ensure blanket coverage of the High Street throughout the day.
For more information about this project and the technology behind it please follow this link: http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/neighbourhood-watch-and-home-watch/727/pram-watch/
