QUESTIONS about civil liberties issues and the cost- effectiveness of the proposed CCTV system for Haslemere were raised at a special demonstration of the equipment last week.

The demonstration was organised by Haslemere's CCTV partnership and enterprise group, and attended by around 20 people. One member of the public voiced his concerns over what he claimed was a lack of public consultation for the proposed scheme.

The town council previously decided that it was not necessary to consult the public again about plans to install the system costing mmore than £10,000.

At a meeting of Haslemere Town Council in August, councillors were divided over the issue but Jacquie Keen said that a previous public consultation and research by local Neighbourhood Watch groups had shown 85 per cent of people spoken to were in favour of the proposal.

Mr Furlow from Three Gates Lane, Haslemere, said he was extremely worried about how decisions about the use of the camera would be made and who would be accountable for watching the footage.

Co-ordinator of the partnership and enterprise group Melanie Odell, was on hand to respond along with Mayor of Haslemere Michael Barnes, crime prevention officer for Waverley, Pc John Robini, and representatives from the camera manufacturers, Petards.

Mrs Odell said: "We feel the public are behind us on this scheme and we are going to communicate with them at all stages of our discussions."

So far, the group has decided to look into appointing CCTV wardens from the local community who would be responsible for watching the monitors. Mrs Odell said the wardens would go through a screening process and would probably be members of neighbourhood watch schemes.

Pc Robini said that a police screening process would also be used to ensure that the wardens would act in the best interests of the community.

But he agreed that any screening processes could never be 100 per cent effective.

The camera proposed for the town is a mobile unit which can be mounted on a 45-foot high pole.

It has the capability to record high-quality images in a field of up to four kilometres. A device to record sound can be fitted to the system but Pc Robini said there was no reason why Haslemere would need this added expense.

Other concerns raised by Mr Furlow included uncertainty about how the system might evolve. Facial recognition, tracking, and who could gain access to footage, were just some of the points he wanted to be clarified.

Many of the answers were still not available from the representatives, but Mrs Odell said that further information could be given after the group had held more meetings.

She added: "We are not trying to keep any secrets from the public and we are very pleased to answer any questions. It is just that the proposal is at too early a stage for us to have all of the answers."

Further discussion will about how the cameras will be monitored will take place at the next meeting of the partnership and enterprise group on October 18.

After the demonstration, Mr Furlow told The Herald: "I do not believe a majority of people in Haslemere think it is necessary to spend this money on what is, at least in Haslemere, a solution in search of a problem."

But Mr Barnes was delighted with the presentation. "I was very pleased to see so many people come to see the demonstration and to discuss it in detail.

"I am a firm believer in CCTV playing an active part in helping to keep potential crime under control in and around Haslemere even though our overall figures are low in comparison with other parts of the country.

"We should not be complacent, but at the same time protect people's privacy," added Mr Barnes.