Petition to have CCTV installed near on Glasgow's Abercromby Street

A concerned citizen, going under the name Calton Resident, has started the petition on change.org to have CCTV installed between St Mary's Church on Abercromby Street and a bus stop across the road. 

The resident says they believe the cameras would be a "crucial tool" in deterring behaviour such as "drug dealing, verbal abuse of pedestrians, and damaging cars passing by". 

READ MORE: Street taped off in Glasgow as man rushed to hospital

They claim the criminal behaviour has been happening in the area for the past three years, causing "an unsafe and intimidating environment". 

Cllr George Redmond, Labour councillor for the Calton ward, says he would support installing CCTV in the area if it meant the community felt safer. 

He said: "There is some [CCTV] in the area, but I don’t think it’s covering St Mary’s at this point.

"But I think it’s certainly something I would support in terms of getting additional cameras just to make sure that people feel safe.

"If an additional camera helps to deal with that, then it’s something we should be considering."

St Mary's Church (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

He continued: "I support CCTV but I would support anything that helps to eradicate the drug problem in that area because there are people in the Calton who want to go about their business, whether that’s visiting a family member, whether it’s going to their work, whether it’s taking their children to school, going to the park, going to the shops, they just want to go about their business and any support we can give them, we will do that.

"We will not stop giving support to the community, if the community are looking for ways to stop it [crime] then it’s up to us to make sure we can try and get those resources to do that."

READ MORE: Car deliberately set on fire in driveway of residential area

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council stated there is already CCTV in place on Abercromby Street at Millroad Street, but would monitor the area near St Mary's Church.

So far, 62 people have signed the petition since it started around two weeks ago. 

Some of those who have signed have said they did so because they want to live in a "safe place".

The resident who started the petition claims: "Despite numerous complaints to the authorities, no effective measures have been taken to challenge this behaviour."

However, police have confirmed they are aware of the issues in Abercromby Street and are carrying out regular patrols in the area. 

Cllr Redmond says he believes the police response to the issues has been appropriate. 

He said: "There is an issue there and to be fair to the police, there has been a number of arrests over the years.

"The response from police has been what I expect.

"When we've asked them to step up, they've stepped up."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We are aware of ongoing issues in the Abercromby Street area of Glasgow and carry out regular patrols in the area, on top of any required enforcement action.

"We continue to work closely with our partners in the local authority to explore crime prevention measures in addition to the existing CCTV provision in the area."

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "We work closely with Police Scotland to tackle antisocial behaviour.

"We already have a public space CCTV camera in Abercromby Street at Millroad Street and will monitor the location mentioned and pass any intelligence gathered to partners in the police.

"We encourage anyone who witnesses a crime to report it immediately to Police Scotland."

You can view the petition on change.org HERE.