A round-up of local government CCTV; as in previous round-ups, the picture is patchy; some systems have been cut, or turned off altogether, as the public sector seeks austerity cuts, and CCTV is not a statutory service, unlike (say) libraries or collecting domestic rubbish. As featured in the July 2016 print issue of Professional Security, Westminster City Council in central London decided on a switch off of its public space system, as it drew a blank when going cash in hand to others such as the Mayor of London and the Home Office, and its suggested ‘pan-London network’ of CCTV came to nothing. Enfield borough by contrast has some 1003 cameras connected to its north London control room.
In the early 2000s, when Mike Withers was Salisbury Council CCTV manager, and a leading light of the CCTV User Group, Salisbury’s CCTV system was one of the most hailed in the country. It was among the first to gain a gold standard award from the User Group. As featured in the February 2001 issue of Professional Security, Salisbury CCTV offered a chaperone service, whereby lone workers could be ‘escorted’ by CCTV from their workplace to car park; quite a pioneering idea, of CCTV as more than a crime detection or deterrence tool. Withers retired in 2009; in June 2016 the cathedral city’s cameras stopped recording. Wiltshire County Council sold the building that housed the control room. The county said it would install a new system; but wanted the city council to foot some of the bill. Salisbury said it couldn’t afford it. Hence a stand-off; meanwhile Salisbury Business Improvement District (BID) called on the councils to negotiate the asset transfer.
After a July meeting of the BID board – which has representatives from both councils – BID businesses stressed the importance of CCTV to the city. Jon Osgood, a Salisbury BID Director and retail shopping centre manager for the Old George Mall with a real passion for the city said: “Whatever the outcome of the asset transfer, our message to both councils is that a decision on procuring the new system must be made within the next few weeks and at the latest by the end of August. We have a fantastic offer, a strong local economy, and we have worked hard to join the daytime economy together ensuring that the city is a vibrant place to do business. We have the important Purple Flag status, a recognition of a safe and welcoming city from 5pm to 5am. The emphasis on the installation being complete is essential before the busy lead up to the busy Christmas period to ensure the continued safety of Salisbury residents and the protection of our businesses. Our board represents the whole city, so the message is pretty clear – get on with it, the city needs CCTV again, and quickly!”
Work to replace most of Shrewsbury’s public CCTV cameras was due to start in August 2016. The replacing of old (and beyond repair) cameras with high definition models follows a review of CCTV in the county town by Shropshire Council, where it was agreed to both upgrade most of the CCTV cameras and refurbish the monitoring centre, with new screens and consoles.
A £190,000 project has been funded by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, and has involved Shropshire’s Community Safety Partnership and Shrewsbury Town Council. The work will be by Region Services Limited.
Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health and well-being, and Chair of Shropshire’s Health and Well-being Board, said: “Ensuring that CCTV is maintained is a challenge for all councils, but by working closely with our partners, we can now install a modern CCTV system in Shrewsbury. I am extremely pleased and thankful that the Police and Crime Commissioner has invested funding in the safety of residents, visitors and businesses in Shrewsbury through an upgrade of the town centre CCTV system, which will vastly improve its capabilities and effectiveness.”
And John Campion, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, said; “This is an excellent example of partners working together to create safer communities. The new CCTV system for Shrewsbury will provide a better deterrent when it comes to crime prevention, and be more helpful in providing useful evidence should an offence take place. It is absolutely right that money goes back into our local communities like this, in a way that benefits everyone.”
The current CCTV system was installed in the early 2000s.
Colne Town Council has resolved on in a high definition CCTV system for Colne town centre.
Pendle Borough Council last year citing ‘budgetary pressure’ stated that it could not sustain its CCTV to the five towns of Colne, Nelson, Earby, Barnoldswick and Brierfield without those town councils paying. Also proposed was replacing fibre optic transmission with a digital radio ethernet systems; and a move to an East Lancashire monitoring hub at Blackburn.
Chairman of Colne Town Council, Sarah Cockburn-Price, said: “We consulted the local Police for advice on what kind of system would be best for them. They were unequivocal that the system should be available to them and monitored in Colne.”
Councillors asked to police to prioritise the areas to site to the new CCTV . To test the market, a tender was produced which emphasised ease of upgrading and extending the new system.
Sarah Cockburn-Price said: “At our full council, most councillors opted for the full, town-wide system. At almost £70,000, this is, by quite some way, the biggest investment the town council has ever made.”
The winning tender was Grantfen and features the ability to view footage on tablets and ‘phones. Two monitoring stations are proposed; one in the Town Hall and one in Colne’s Police Station.
