CAMPAIGNERS are dismayed after a council revealed that more than a year after it was given funding for safety initiatives such as security cameras at a crime hotspot, the cameras still don’t work.

In August 2022, Dorset Council successfully bid for almost £250,000 of government funding for initiatives to make women and girls feel safer.

The funding was spent on various projects including 'stalking support', the continuation of the Safe Space in Weymouth town centre, and additional CCTV cameras, including on the Rodwell Trail which has been plagued by crime and anti-social behaviour.

Three poles have been erected on the walking and cycle trail at particular hotspots - next to the old WW2 gun emplacement above the Marsh; near the tunnel beneath Wyke Road (below); next to Buxton Road bridge.

Dorset Echo: It is understood they were put up at the end of last year - and while they have acquired graffiti, the cameras in fact have never worked.

Dorset Council said there have been power supply problems and the cameras will be switched on soon.

Tracey West, of Women’s Action Network Dorset (WAND), said it was ‘unacceptable.’

She said: “A quarter of a million pounds is a hefty amount and I cannot see how it could take all that time to join the dots up and to commission and hand over the work the grant was provided to fix.

“The safety of everyone is what's really important here but most especially women as there are far higher rates of attacks on women reported.

“Much more could be done to keep the streets safer for women, men and youngsters alike. Well positioned, fully functional, high-quality cameras that can identify perpetrators when they need to, can only be a good thing but it's a cultural change that's really needed and that's a far bigger ask.”

She believes a lot more needs to be done to ensure the safety of everybody.

“Physical things like the cameras, more police on more frequent patrols and better lighting are simple answers but they're just plasters on a big scab. A critical culture change is the big thing that's needed, starting with better teaching about respect and equality when children are at school.”

WAND is a community voluntary organisation aimed at uniting women and enabling them to collaborate over common issues through collective strengths and actions; striving to reach those most in need and reducing gaps in inequality.

Dorset Echo:

Westham councillor Alex Fuhrmann said: "The local councillors have continued to try and find some sort of update or action on this (CCTV), and we get nothing back from Dorset Council.

"I emailed (Dorset Council officer) last month with a polite request, with Weymouth-based Dorset Council councillors cc'd in and I’ve heard nothing, not even a courteous response."

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “There have been unforeseen circumstances connecting a power supply to the new cameras on the Rodwell Trail, mainly due to its location and geography, which I understand has now been remedied. The cameras should be going live in the very near future.”

The council could not confirm a date the cameras would go live.