More cameras will lead to less crime in Bronx and other city public housing complexes, according to the City Council.

At a hearing Thursday, police officials said in 2003, 16 percent of shootings and 11 percent of murders occurred in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments. Officials worry those numbers are disproportionately high, considering only 5 percent of the city?s population lives in public housing. Council members are calling on the federal government to subsidize the money the city allots to surveillance programs.

Closed-circuit cameras are installed in 15 NYCHA developments, several of which are in the Bronx. The NYPD monitors some cameras 24 hours a day, but officials say the system is costly. They recommend videotaping other buildings. Police say either system is effective.

Many residents tell News 12 The Bronx they are in favor of being monitored if they will be safer, but some worry about police overstepping their bounds. NYCHA says cameras will be installed in 23 public housing buildings across the city within the next 18 months.