Police in County Durham are hailing their faster gathering of CCTV footage for investigations. Before, an officer would drive to Durham County Council‘s 24-7 CCTV control room in to obtain wanted footage on a disk.
Since October SentrySIS, cloud-based software, allows the operators to send CCTV in a digital transfer which saves travelling time, vehicle fuel and enables officers to progress investigations quicker as they can generally receive the footage the same day as they request.
Acting Inspector Adam Norris who is leading the development, said: “A common misconception is that the police own CCTV cameras. In fact, cameras are predominantly owned by local authorities and private businesses, meaning that the police have to request access to the footage which can take time. Any technology that recovers intelligence from video footage is a priority for development in the police’s evidence-gathering capabilities. Such advanced technology will free up officers, allowing investigation teams to be more effective at solving crimes.
“Surveillance cameras are crucial to investigations. This footage has become a game-changer in our pursuit of justice for victims of crimes. The cameras can record and capture a crime as it unfolds and create valuable evidence for court trials.”
CCTV may track movements of criminals, locate victims of crime, identify potential suspects and witnesses, prove or disprove alibis and monitor public order disturbances.
Head of transport and contract services at Durham County Council, Adrian White, said: “We know CCTV is vital for the police and we have worked closely with our colleagues at Durham Constabulary to help speed up the transfer process. We are always keen to use technology where it helps make efficiencies and so far the system is proving beneficial for all involved.”
Durham Constabulary point out it was the first force in the country to issue all frontline police officers, special constables, police community support officers and staff with body-worn video cameras. A/Insp Norris said body-worn has proved invaluable. “They are being used to support early charging decisions by the Crown Prosecution Service as their staff can now often view the scene of an incident, hear the initial account of the victim and see any injuries caused. This helps to bring offenders to justice at the earliest opportunity which reduces overall costs to the criminal justice system.”
Picture by Mark Rowe; view of Durham Cathedral.
