Published: February 6, 2012
By RICHARD OSLEY

THE Town Hall today (Monday) promised to "deactivate" a CCTV camera which barks warnings at people as they walk across a Somers Town council estate.

The workings of the "flash camera" at Walker House were revealed on Saturday night when resident Jim Jepps was told by the speaking camera that he had entered "a restricted area" and that his photo would be taken for "processing". The camera, which speaks in what people have described as a "Robocop" American accent, covers the communal gardens on the estate rather than a no-go area. Mr Jepps posted a video recording of the camera issuing its stern warning to YouTube, the clip (pictured above & embeded below) which has been watched more than 40,000 times in two days. Camden Council said it had installed the camera due to complaints about anti-social behaviour on the estate.

Mr Jepps said: "This camera will not solve any anti-social behaviour, it is anti-social behaviour. If there was a non-resident standing in the garden at nighttime telling everyone who came by to move on, we’d give them short shrift. This camera is that guy, put there by people who do not live here but are too lazy to actually stand there and do it for themselves – so they get a robot to do it for them. This camera will not stop vehicle crime because a) it isn’t happening and b) it’s pointed at the garden. This camera won't stop kids playing football and running about – and a good thing, too. This camera will not prevent a mugging, drug dealing or prostitution – although if you see a serious crime taking place in Walker House, call the police and you can create the first crime stat here for more than a year."

In a statement released this afternoon, the council blamed new batteries for triggering the messages.

It said: "Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for Camden Council and we’re committed to ensuring the safety and security of each and every one of our residents. The flash camera on Walker House estate was installed in September 2011 in response to an increasing number of concerns from residents on the estate and complaints of anti-social behaviour. All flash cameras have the capacity to deliver voice messages when activated but in this instance it appears that voice messages were inadvertently activated when the camera batteries were replaced four to five weeks ago. We do not want to stop residents from enjoying their open spaces and communal areas and under no circumstances would we want voice messages to be used in areas where they may be disturbed. The voice messages will be deactivated as soon as possible."

See Thursday's New Journal for more