CCTV and neighbour problem.

Yosiah · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:25

Hello.

I need a bit of help and I don't know where to turn to.

Our neighbours are dangerous, simply put. They have the police around every other week, and the local authority has been trying to have them removed from the premises on a few occasions but hasn't been successful - due to a lack of evidence I guess. In the past few months there have been stolen cars outside their house, drunken and violent behaviour against the neighbours on the other side, but nothing has been done about it. Unfortunately, in this day and age you cannot win against "d*ck heads" because they have nothing to lose, and dare to do things other people wouldn't.

Most people would just complain to the police, but if we did that I expect things would turn very nasty. There's certainly a lot they could do to make out life a misery (indeed they already do, like throwing food into our garden when they have parties, or dumping their cat litter/rabbit litter over our fence).

How much would it cost to have easy to use CCTV cameras covering the front and side/back of the house? By easy I mean you just set it up and leave it and it continually records weekly 24/7 footage etc? So it requires no hassle, just set it up and only come back to it when you need to refer to it.

My mother just wants to have a piece of mind that at least there would be video evidence if needed to prove her own innocence if any such situation arises.

Cheers!

Wizzkidy · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:29

Your best option is to keep a diary of events that happen over a period. Speak to the council and produce a good bit of info from the diary to them after a few months.

They will get whats coming to them. CCTV is an option as well but just keep up the pressure on the council I say.

I was in a similar situation myself until I produced 6 months worth of diary entries, after that the residents done the moonlight split at 1am in the morning due to having to go to court.

Edrof · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:30

They might see the CCTV as a red flag, too. I sympathise with your situation though

Duke · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:30

You can get quite cheap CCTV kits that include a hard disk recorder, two cameras and the cables for a few hundred.

mhk1058 · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:32

Shouldn't cost very much. I'd suggets having a look on the well know auction site. You can get good quality cameras with infra red etc and all the necessary leads etc (you'll need CCTV Video and DC power leads for each camera). A good day & night camera can cost as little as £30 but don't get the cheapest, image will be dire, aim for minimum 420 TV lines. The potentially tricky and expensive bit is the video capture device, esp if you want to capture more than one camera feed. You can get capture cards for the PC or you'd need a dvd writer or tape machine specifically for CCTV. Software is available to help manage this and can even be set to motion detect to save on recording media. Like everything, their are compromises between cost and quality. Have a look here for some tips.

mrk · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:33

You can conceal the cctv easily as you can mount webcam or two connected to a laptop overnight on your top windowsill and use software like booru webcam to upload an image every xx secionds.

It's cheap and efficient as well.

Overslop · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:34

Recording 24/7 would require quite a lot of storage space if you're not maintaining it often.

bitslice · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:35

Forde said:
They might see the CCTV as a red flag

bullet cameras,
small enough to hide next to wall lights or a sat dish

sk3lph · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:36

Some webcams can be set up to take a configured number of stills if movement is detected within the area its pointed.

Cosimo · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:39

By all means set up a CCTV system using your PC but you must document every event that takes place and as mentioned before, keep having a go at the council.

duffers20 · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:54

Am I right in saying that you aren't permitted to record someone on CCTV without telling them first?

I seem to remember (this might be total nonsense by the way as it was a couple of years ago) one of these neighbours from hell programs on TV where a guy was having problems with his neighbours so he set up a secret CCTV camera but the evidence he recorded couldn't be used because the neighbours didn't know they were being recorded.

I understand that you are having real problems with your neighbours but I don't want you getting into any bother trying to get them out so it might be worth investigating this before you splash out on CCTV equipment!

mrk · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:56

You can record what you like on your own land, it's in a public place that a sign has to be put up saying CCTV is in use.

Else all these Neighbours from hell TV shows would be up the creak surely!

ash_scotland88 · 24 Feb 2011 at 12:58

duffers20 said:
Am I right in saying that you aren't permitted to record someone on CCTV without telling them first?

I seem to remember (this might be total nonsense by the way as it was a couple of years ago) one of these neighbours from hell programs on TV where a guy was having problems with his neighbours so he set up a secret CCTV camera but the evidence he recorded couldn't be used because the neighbours didn't know they were being recorded.

I understand that you are having real problems with your neighbours but I don't want you getting into any bother trying to get them out so it might be worth investigating this before you splash out on CCTV equipment!

I thought to get around this all that needs to happen is "This property is protected by CCTV" to be stuck up somewhere.

duffers20 · 24 Feb 2011 at 13:03

ash_scotland88 said:
I thought to get around this all that needs to happen is "This property is protected by CCTV" to be stuck up somewhere.

This describes it well:

http://www.problemneighbours.co.uk/cctv-privacy-and-the-law.html

Makes quite interesting reading!

Brian8bit · 24 Feb 2011 at 13:08

Personally I'd just get a couple of mates to don balaclavas and call up one evening and tell them that if there's any more stolen cars turn up, the people stealing them will be taken out and nailed to a fence.

Cosimo · 24 Feb 2011 at 13:10

duffers20 said:
This describes it well:

http://www.problemneighbours.co.uk/cctv-privacy-and-the-law.html

Makes quite interesting reading!

So just don't have the things pointing directly into someone’s property.

britboy4321 · 24 Feb 2011 at 14:37

Nasty neighbours would see the CCTV and their attention would be turned to your mum.

2 days after installation, from an unrecorded angle, a series of large stones would smash the CCTV cameras, each in turn. Then the real fun (read 'retaliation') would start.

Windle · 24 Feb 2011 at 16:59

Calls can be made to the police anonymously however it sounds like they are already aware of the residents if they are round every other week.

I sympathise, one of the tenants in the flats I stay in hangs around with the local reprobates and they come round all the time. We're pretty sure that they were even involved in breaking into my flat a few months ago but there's no direct proof against the tenant although one of his mates was arrested in posession of my bike.

PhillyDee · 24 Feb 2011 at 17:02

britboy4321 said:
Nasty neighbours would see the CCTV and their attention would be turned to your mum.

2 days after installation, from an unrecorded angle, a series of large stones would smash the CCTV cameras, each in turn. Then the real fun (read 'retaliation') would start.

Exactly. And when this CCTV evidence is used in court, or shown to them, and it is clearly taken from YOUR property? Do you think they will just say "ok, fair cop guv"? Not likely!