EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Evaluation of CCTV Surveillance in Rotterdam

Evaluation of CCTV Surveillance in Rotterdam

Introduction

In June 2000, CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras were placed at Stadhuisplein and in the Saftlevenkwartier area in Rotterdam. The location for CCTV in Saftlevenkwartier area is a unique location for the Netherlands, as it is a residential area rather than an entertainment/nightlife spot. In October 2001, this urban pilot of CCTV surveillance was extended by installing cameras in the Keileweg streetwalkers’ district and at the underground stations at Delfshaven and Marconiplein and at the end of Mathenesserdijk.

Description

Has CCTV surveillance led to a reduction in disturbance/harassment and the fear of crime? This final report renders the results of the CCTV surveillances on the six locations mentioned. For each CCTV area, the level of crime and the level of perceived nuisance and fear of crime as well as the number of arrests made by the police were compared before and after the introduction of the CCTV surveillance.

Conclusions

The first objective, i.e. a reduction of street violence, has largely been achieved.
The second objective, i.e. a drop in perceived nuisance, has not been achieved in all locations. The effect of CCTV surveillance on (drug-related) nuisance is clearly less than on street violence.
The third objective, i.e. an improvement in the perceived fear of crime, has been partially achieved. The improvement, however, is not statistically significant. A vast majority of the respondents feel that CCTV surveillance is not an invasion of their privacy.
The fourth objective, i.e. improved efficacy of the police and the judicial authorities, was achieved. Firstly, this goes for the use of the system during large-scale events.
Observations have also shown that the nuisance caused by drug addicts has dropped visibly.

Contact info

Intraval

Publication date

15/02/2003

Researcher

Snippe, J., A. Kruize, B. Merkelijn, H. Naaijer, B. Bieleman

Cities

The city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Links

Intraval research and consultancy More information on this research (in Dutch)

Summary (PDF, Dut, 25 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Security & crime prevention > Crime prevention

Keywords

Camera surveillance