We will continue our series on the survival and revival of public space CCTV in the October and November print editions of Professional Security magazine by featuring small towns, that during the public sector austerity of the 2010s tended to be the places most likely to lose their on-street local government cameras, for cost reasons.
In north Kent, Swale Borough Council has installed new CCTV cameras in in Leysdown to combat crime and anti-social behaviour. A set of four cameras cost £18,500 and have been jointly funded by the council, Leysdown Parish Council and Sheppey Area Committee – a trend developing, as district councils that typically monitor CCTV look to other authorities to help make ends meet.
Three cameras have been installed along the seafront between the junction of the promenade and Leysdown Road, and one along Leysdown Road.
Elliott Jayes, deputy cabinet member for community for Swale, said: “We’ve seen a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour in Leysdown in the past few years, especially during the summer months.
“Installing CCTV gives us the ability to immediately report any crime or anti-social behaviour to the police in real time, so they can respond more quickly, helping keep the community safer for everyone.“We’re working with Leysdown Parish Council and Sheppey Area Committee to install the new CCTV cameras in Leysdown. We’ve each contributed just over £6,000 towards the new cameras to help us monitor and respond and to crime and anti-social behaviour in real time.”
The borough council will cover the costs of maintenance, staff monitoring costs and fibre line rental for image transmission.
“We’ve had good results with our CCTV in other parts of Sheppey – our CCTV operators alerted police when a young male waved a knife at a camera on Sheerness High Street [pictured, by Mark Rowe]. The operators gave live updates to attending patrols who found the male and arrested him for possession of a deadly weapon. CCTV operators also helped police arrest an offender who had committed arson to several vehicles by calling for back up when he jumped out of his car and attempted to fight the officers. Additional officers arrived quickly, and the offender was arrested.”
Visit www.swale.gov.uk/community-safety-and-emergencies/cctv.
