A WOMAN has called for improvements in the closed circuit television (CCTV) facilities operating in Rhyl after alleging that her son was assaulted in the town.

The woman said her 17-year-old son was assaulted in Morley Road Park on Saturday, September 17 at approximately 10.30pm.

Despite reporting the matter to police, efforts to find the culprit have proved fruitless, due in part to Denbighshire County Council (DCC)’s CCTV footage, which she considers sub-standard.

She said: “My son was assaulted and even though it's all on CCTV, police cannot identify the person as DCC has outsourced CCTV to a company in Chester that do not man it.

“It's zoomed out to the max to cover the biggest area possible - one officer said they wouldn't be able to identify their own children on it.

“In addition to this, it's only kept for 30 days, so no evidence is available at a later date, even if it was usable.

“Also, the camera that covered the assault was meant to have been updated and replaced before COVID according to police, and hasn't.”

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In July 2018, it was reported that CCTV cameras in Rhyl, Prestatyn and Rhuddlan would, from then on, be watched by Cheshire West and Chester Council's control room to save money.

The woman said she contacted police the day after the assault to make an official complaint, and was told that an officer would be in touch.

On September 23, after making a complaint, she said a police officer called and took a statement.

She said that police called her back two weeks later to say that, while the assault was caught on CCTV, it would be near-impossible to identify anyone from the footage.

The woman added: “After Victim Support contacted the police asking why they hadn't followed the perpetrators on the CCTV into town, and then ask pubs to view their own CCTV, we were informed that CCTV is only kept for 30 days.

“Basically, Rhyl has unmanned CCTV that's not fit for purpose and is looked after by a company in Chester.

“Conwy has manned CCTV, but Denbighshire doesn't.”

North Wales Police (NWP) confirmed that it was not possible to identify a suspect due to the footage’s “poor quality”, but urged anyone with information to contact the force.

A NWP spokesperson said: “At around 10.30pm on September 19, we received a report of an assault that took place on Grange Road, Rhyl.

“An investigation was launched with assistance from DCC to retrieve CCTV footage from the location of the incident.

“Unfortunately, due to the poor quality of the footage, officers were not able to identify a suspect.

“Further enquiries were carried out but due to a restricted CCTV retention time, no further evidence was able to be retrieved.

“Anybody with new information that could assist officers with further enquiries is urged to get in touch via the website, or on 101, using reference number 22000696122.”

A DCC spokesperson added: “We have a strong working relationship with NWP.

“We are always happy to work with the police and provide them with any assistance or access they may need.

“The CCTV cameras in Rhyl and across the county are accessible to the police, who can monitor and retrieve footage as required.”