We’ve hit 50 doorbell camera fitting milestone

Director Jennie Shaw and operator Vincent Logue at the launch of the campaign earlier this year

THE Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust has passed the milestone of fitting 50 free or low cost doorbell cameras to help older people, or those with disabilities, feel safe at home.

The charity has been supplying and fitting the doorbell cameras for £130 – substantially below the retail price – to people who are eligible.

Some have been fitted free of charge for people in parish council areas identified as being at risk by Neighbourhood Policing Teams living in areas and where the charity has received parish council funding.

Doorbell cameras allow householders to see and communicate with visitors via a smartphone or tablet, no matter where they are. They send alerts when someone approaches their door and often feature motion detection and night vision and store footage remotely to for potential evidence.

Bobby Van Operator Vincent Logue said: “It has been a successful campaign so far and I’m getting four or five requests for doorbell cameras a week from all over the county and in Swindon. Most people hear about them through word of mouth or on Facebook.

“The vast majority we’ve fitted are for people who are over 60 and we've had a few 90-year-olds. We don’t just install it, we show them how to operate them and by the time we've left, they say ‘oh, it's easy’.

“You can see they are pleased when we’ve fitted them because they don't have to open the door to people. A lot of people are really concerned when they open the door, it's really nerve-wracking when they are in the house by themselves."

He said the cameras are an effective deterrent but they also provide peace of mind. “I think of it like a new version of a door chain, you can answer the door safely because you don't even have to unlock it,” he said.

“You can also answer from wherever you are – whether that's in Bath or in the bath – and it's much easier to say no, or to ask someone to leave, when you're not face to face. It's really difficult for people to say no when you've unlocked the door.

“The other advantage for the very vulnerable is that family members can monitor it as well. It allows the same monitoring of the activity of the door and of the person but it's still allowing them to have that independent living.”

To apply for a doorbell camera fitting contact the charity at BobbyVan@wbvt.org. Eligible recipients must have Wi-Fi access and a smartphone. They can opt to pay a £4.99 monthly subscription to the camera provider to get access to an archive of their recordings or just have live pictures.