Storm brews as CCTV casts eye over Skye

[BASEL]

Not since Bonnie Prince Charlie passed this way after defeat at the Battle of Culloden has there been so much rebellion in the air on the Isle of Skye.

While in 1746 nothing less was at stake than the future of the monarchy in England and Scotland, in 2008 the revolt is a decidedly more prosaic, and 21st-century, affair.

It may not look much, but a small CCTV camera erected by the council in the fishing village of Elgol has led to a storm of protest by local people who claim that the surveillance society of modern Britain's towns and cities has no place in their idyllic island community.

Few of Britain's estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras are as incongruous as the one attached to the side of an old fishermen's bothy in Elgol harbour, where its view of the seafront includes piles of lobster creels, rusting anchor chains and cabins selling tickets for boat trips across the bay to the spectacular Cuillin mountains.
Times Archive, 1882: Rioting in Skye

Escept when Talisker whisky fires his brain, the Skyeman is peaceful. Few policemen are found there, and few are needed

* Social condition of the people in Skye

* The crofters of Skye

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* Skye high

On a normal day here, so little happens that at times the only sounds are those of the stream that tumbles down the hillside and the Highland cattle in a field above.

Tourists stand admiring the views across the water, where dolphins, minke whales and basking sharks are frequently seen. Children from the tiny primary school play on the beach or a fishing boat unloads its catch onto the small jetty. “This is a beautiful place,� Hermione Lamond, 37, said from behind the counter at the village shop. “There's no crime, no social disorder - nothing at all like that.

“The only time the police come out is to do the cycling proficiency tests at the school or for the occasional road accident. Having a CCTV camera gives the wrong impression to tourists. Why on earth do we need one?�

Highland Council insists that the only reason it has installed the camera is to monitor a simmering dispute between the two rival boat trip companies - one run by an Englishman, the other by local residents - who operate from the jetty and have fallen out over berthing slots.

In a place where disputes are normally settled within the community, the CCTV camera has come to symbolise the unwanted interference of outsiders. Since it was erected three weeks ago about 80 villagers have signed a petition calling for it to be removed.

“It's like the 30mph signs they put up recently on the road into the village,� said one. “It's complete nonsense. If you do anything more than 15mph coming down that hill you'll be lucky not to end up in the sea.�

Although the camera is pointed directly at the jetty, local residents claim that it will also capture footage of children playing on the small stretch of sandy beach beside it.

Anne Mackinnon, 55, whose family runs Misty Isle Boat Trips, said: “My grandchildren play down on the beach there and I don't like that. I don't see any reason why they should be watched by CCTV.

“This is the surveillance society gone mad. Look at the place. It's not London. We have a very good harbourmaster and if the council had left it to him there would never have been a problem.� A spokeswoman for Highland Council said that the camera, which cost £1,200 to install, was “for management purposes following discussions with the two resident boat operators�.

She added: “The CCTV is fixed and concentrates on the jetty and immediate area. No one is monitoring the CCTV, it is on a permanent recording system and would only be checked if the council had been notified of any incidents. No incidents have been reported since it was installed.�

David Brown, 50, who is originally from Newcastle upon Tyne and took over Bella Jane Boat Trips in 2004, insisted that the camera was serving a purpose. “There are quite a lot of people in the village who didn't sign the petition,� he said. “As far as we're concerned it's perfectly reasonable to have a camera here.�

The camera itself occupies a discreet position but a series of prominent yellow signs give warning: “CCTV in operation�.

The John Muir Trust, a conservation charity that owns land in the area, said that it fully supported calls for the camera to be removed.

Andrew Campbell, the charity's head of land management, said: “The pier is one of the most picturesque spots in Skye, with a world-famous view of the Cuillin mountains.

“As passionate defenders of wild land we are totally opposed to the intrusion of CCTV cameras and signs into one of the most remote parts of Scotland.�