Salford City Council has started upgrading its CCTV cameras to products from the Chinese manufacturer Hikvision.
Deputy City Mayor Councillor David Lancaster said: “The CCTV cameras play a vital role in our city. Our staff report incidents to police enabling them to respond quickly, gather evidence for prosecuting fly tippers and have saved dozens of vulnerable missing people by alerting the authorities.
“We’re always checking that the cameras are up to date and we were astonished at the clarity of the new ‘Darkfighter‘ cameras. They really do turn night into day and give us pin sharp images which will help immensely. Plus they are almost half the price of the previous cameras which is an additional bonus.
“Our staff work to the absolute letter of the law in monitoring the cameras and will continue to do so. They are all experienced and therefore react only to things that are out of the ordinary such as unusual body language, aggressive movements or suspicious behaviour.”
Salford City Council and partners fund 130 CCTV cameras covering six neighbourhoods in the city, monitored round the clock at a control room at Salford Civic Centre. The operators are linked to police radios to work together on incidents, such as missing people or people wanted for questioning.
For instance the public space CCTV played a part in providing evidence for Operation Pandora, the council’s work against fly tippers which has seen 33 offenders prosecuted for 41 offences over the past two years. Information provided by the council’s CCTV team helped police arrest 200 people last year.
Pictured: The Manchester United ‘trinity’ of Law, Charlton and Best outside Old Trafford; in Salford borough.
