Northampton CCTV review 'not linked' to camera overlooking Robert Brown murder scene broken since 2013, says council

The 57-year-old was found with a fatal arm injury on a bench next to the River Nene, behind Auctioneers Court, Cotton End, at about 6.30am on Friday 1 August. A murder investigation was launched and three people have since been arrested and bailed.

No one has been charged, and the inquest into his death is due to open at Northampton Guildhall on Wednesday 1 October – three months on from the suspected killing.

Days after his death it emerged that a CCTV camera, situated on top of a bridge overlooking the bench and the wider riverside area, had been out of service since 2013.

A resident who lives nearby told the Chronicle and Echo: “It’s a blind spot. People exploit it. It’s the perfect spot – benches, near town, no one watching.

“It’s a bit of a lawless land. I just feel like the area’s been let down more than anything. Honestly, it was only a matter of time. It’s always after something like this that people start paying attention.”

A WNC spokeswoman said confirmed the camera has been out of service since 2013 due to ‘high repair costs’ and ‘difficult access’, adding ‘it is also not recognised as a significant trouble hotspot’.

The council spokeswoman said: “We acknowledge that a working camera might have provided valuable intelligence for our police colleagues, and we will be discussing the merits of a replacement with them.

“Due to the location, any solution would remain challenging and there would potentially be high costs at a time when public sector budgets are incredibly stretched.”

The council has this month (September) confirmed it is carrying out a “strategic review” of its CCTV system.

Reform councillor Thomas Manning, cabinet member for planning and communities, wrote in a report which went before full council on 25 September: “The council’s CCTV system remains a key tool in protecting the public and helping to see criminals caught and convicted. However, as time moves on, both circumstances and technology change.

“Therefore, we will be undertaking a strategic review of the system, to see where, perhaps, cameras are no longer justified, and where there are no cameras, but they are needed. Alongside that, we will be looking at the technology used and where we can add to system effectiveness, whilst always bearing in mind the need not to intrude on people’s privacy without good reason.”

When asked if the review was prompted by Mr Brown’s death, WNC said there was ‘no link’ and that the work had been planned for some time.

Police say their investigation has included reviewing thousands of hours of CCTV, house-to-house enquiries and multiple arrests.

Detective Inspector Torie Harrison of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) Major Crime team, who is leading the murder investigation, said: “Robert’s death has left his family with unanswered questions, and they deserve to know what has happened to their loved one.

“We know that there are people in the area who have not yet come forward and we would urge anyone who used this route on Thursday July 31 into the early hours of Friday August 1, to come forward.

“Where Robert was found is a popular route with people walking to and from Sixfields and the town centre, and they may not realise it, but it is possible they saw or heard something which could help us with the investigation.

“However small or insignificant you believe the information is, if you have not already done so, please get in touch as a matter of urgency. Any little detail may help us piece together just what happened to Robert.”

Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting incident number: 25000450267.