I hope they have read and learned from the excellent questions and issues raised in this website discussion by members of the community and take on board other concerns,ideas and suggestions. And I hope that some real facts and information is honestly distributed to us all after say, six months,or a year, to reveal what crime rate or incidents have changed. Not to make anyone ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but to have intelligent, informed evaluation of an experiment. From that, wise decisions could be made by our future town leaders.

What we all want is for Janet (who so honestly shared her experience) to have more peace and safety in her neighbourhood. We have amongst us many different opinions of how that could best happen.

My feedback to H.Morgan is that I am not interested in devils advocate/forceful to get a reponse/ conflict based/ending up as a cheering winner or a proven loser ways of relating and communicating. For me, those ways are part of the problem. And dont open peoples hearts to each other….which I believe is the only real way of change.

I apologise to our young people of Newcastle Emlyn for the huge challenge of turning around the escalating violence in their world, which we have given them as their inheritance. I also apologise to the young people of Newcastle Emlyn for the failures of the generation of H Morgan and myself to make your world easier and safer and that we have to turn cameras onto you because we dont know how to do it any better or different.

I really apologise. In fact Im quite gutted.

I wish you well as you grow and learn so you may pass on something better to your youngsters…

I, also, have learned that using the first few thousand pounds of the (new) target of £25,000, the first cameras will be installed at the opposite end of the town to where the trouble tends to happen – ie the junction of College Street and New Road around the Central Cafe. For technical reasons apparently. The CCTV company is obviously keen to get it’s foot in the door by making a start.

However I’m a bit worried by he/she describing him/herself as a “devil’s advocate”, the definition of which is “One who argues against a cause or position, not as a committed opponent but simply for the sake of argument or to determine the validity of the cause or position”.

If we are arguing against someone who is engaging in sport, rather than honest debate, that’s very sad. I thought I was discussing the issues with someone who actually believed what he/she was saying.

As for the charge of being aggressive, I had no wish to offend Pamela or any other participant, but at the end of the day the votes appear to be split 50/50. I say this, as I have been told that the decision to place cameras in the town has been made and that the first of many will be in situation before Christmas.

I look forward to being the devil’s advocate again, one day.

Its right to sceptical/wary about monitoring/collection of personal information. Maybe NE might look at this again, and decide actually in the bigger scheme of things – taking recent factors into consideration – maybe the status quo is a safer alternative. As an example, I’d certainly be concerned if CCTV footage showing the regular routines of our children to and from school fell into the wrong hands. There is always two sides to the coin.

Why is that individuals both on the Town Council and on this site are expressing opinions that are only that. Opinions. I would like to see some hard facts and figures relating to our town. Only then can the discussion of CCTV begin. What assessments have the Town Council completed to this end? What steps have adults of the community, who have the guardianship of young people taken to encourage those young people to withstand the insipient culture of excessive alcohol consumption? Once Newcastle Emlyn goes the route of CCTV monitoring, we become lazy, relying on ‘big brother’.

The town will lose it’s most valuable asset, that of being community. Communities support and encourage. There should be no spying or condemning of unpleasant behaviour. I agree that the level of agression is unacceptable, but is it not conceviable that this has been encourged by some authority groups? Maybe the Town Council could provide our community with information relating to potential influences that could have some bearing on the increase of abberant behaviour amongst the young people of the town? Without detailed information to make an objective decision on, I really don’t see how it makes any difference what anyone’s opinions are relating to this subject.

After 1 o’clock when people leave the night club the street becomes very crowded and very noisy. Swearing, shouting and fighting is normal. Even a girl having a fight with her boyfriend can become very annoying when it is in a high pitched screech, every other word begins with f and then others become involved.

I understand the point that CCTV may not prevent this but it may be a deterrent and may identify the troublemakers. I have had windows broken many times, flower baskets stolen, railings thrown in the river.

The real answer is probably for parents to teach their children acceptable behavior and for the police to be present at times when there is likely to be trouble.

He may also be an old softie, and sometimes also loving and kind?…As am I, if not feeling patronised …as is our community and a few of our young people who dont know how to handle their drink. And drink escalates their aggression as he describes. Scarily so sometimes, I expect.

(But, H Morgan,,if ‘dogooder’ was meant as a ‘put down’…does it mean its good to be a dobadder???Strange.

So I just want to thank all people that ‘do good’….There they were in Emlyn today…teenagers and children practicing their dance show…a church coffee drop in…charity shops raising money for their worthy causes…sun was shining..lovely.
Our community is both agressive and lovely. In my opinion,a bit more on the lovely side… we have so many things to be grateful for…our river, our castle, our fresh air and countryside.

As H Morgan clearly has close up contact with the youngsters who, it seems, most of this discussion is about (covered behind the smoke screen of should we or shouldnt we get CCTV cameras)I wish him well in using that priviledged and important position to influence their behaviour?, Hope he is determined to give wise counsel to them, empathy and guidance and challenge on the self harm of alcohol abuse,and its effect on others…Even build a relationship and understanding of what ‘bladdering’ means to them, and what are its gains and costs? I’m wondering what he sees are the ways of us older generation doing what we are meant to do for our youngsters? Keeping them safe from the addictive selling and promoting of image and alcohol in our sick Western culture where nationally, young peoples mental health and suicide rate, and drink and drug cultures give clear feedback that things are very unwell. For me,this is a more relevant discussion..the real challenge…….not about cameras.

I imagine H Morgan may see that all as meaningless ‘dogooding? and twadle…to me, its part of my lifes work…I will try to respect our difference and see him as a practical man looking for a practical solution….though I cannot in any way agree that ‘the only way’ is CCTV….it is one option of many possible diverse approaches, some of which have been aired.

Lets not resort to name calling and put downs please.