A GUN-WIELDING youth who threatened a young mother and her baby may never be identified because council CCTV cameras were not turned on.

Victim Rea Buckley, 19, and her family say police told them a vital chance to catch the teenager could have been missed because devices in the Wood Street area of Walthamstow have been decommissioned due to lack of funds.

They fear dozens more across the borough may also have been secretly switched off.

It comes after Ms Buckley and her six-month old baby girl were surrounded by three youths, one armed with a handgun and two with knives, in Bisterne Avenue, Walthamstow, at around 7pm on Saturday September 3.

Ms Buckley got into a row with the trio after they threw stones near her pram as she walked past.

After a confrontation the gang went to a nearby park before returning with the weapons. They then ran off in the direction of Wood Street before police arrived.

"The boy held the gun right up to my face - it was really scary especially when I had my baby with me," said Ms Buckley.

"I think he was just trying to intimidate me - he just ran off after a bit.

"But to find out there's no CCTV makes me feel very insecure. It just doesn't make sense, especially around here where a lot happens.

"Anything could go on and the police wouldn't have the evidence."

She added: "We've just had the new expensive water fountains open in Wood Street and the police are saying there's no public money to pay for the CCTV. It's stupid."

Her mother Sam Buckley, 45, said: “It amazes me in a high-crime area like Walthamstow the council think it's acceptable to turn these cameras off.

“What happened was very upsetting for all of us and I think it’s disgusting that an opportunity to catch them has been missed.”

In September 2010 a council report admitted its CCTV network was “obsolete” due to a lack of investment.

Emergency funding of £312,000 was approved by the cabinet for new devices but it is unclear whether it has yet been spent.

A police spokesman said no arrests had been made and confirmed the CCTV in the area had been decommissioned.

When quizzed by the Guardian, the council was unable to say how many of its CCTV cameras worked or whether the emergency funding had been spent.

In a statement, Cllr Liaquat Ali, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, said: “We are currently in the process of updating our CCTV network.

"The work going on over the next couple of months will improve coverage in the borough, see a twofold increase in the number of operators and create a dedicated police room for access to the images we capture. We are making these improvements against a backdrop of severe cuts and restraints on our spending.”

The council has previously defended spending on the million-pound Wood Street Plaza and fountains, as they were paid for by Transport for London (TfL).

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