Upgrade For Bournemouth CCTV System

Work's going to be carried out on Bournemouth's CCTV network.

As part of the Council’s Safer Communities programme of work, £268,000 of Council funding has been set aside to upgrade the recording and monitoring facilities, with work starting this Spring.
 
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Bournemouth’s CCTV system is an extremely effective tool in improving community safety and reducing crime and disorder in the town. We work closely with the police in the operation and use of CCTV footage and this technology plays an essential part in providing vital evidence in order to successfully prosecute. 
 
“CCTV is a cost effective tool for the Council and the police and so it’s important we invest now to ensure that the standard of our CCTV equipment is maintained so that we can continue to tackle anti-social behaviour in Bournemouth.”
 
Martyn Webster, Visual Images, Identification & Detections Officer, Dorset Police, said: “CCTV is a vital element in the investigative process and assists the police in a number of ways. It has helped on numerous occasions in convicting offenders from simple public order matters to more serious offences. The CCTV operators work in close harmony with police officers in responding to incidents and can give an early indication of potential problems and in many cases they can be resolved before they escalate further.” 
 
The upgrade follows investment in Spring last year, with funding of £46,000 for four mobile CCTV cameras that can be positioned in any public space in Bournemouth and links up to the main CCTV control room. The cameras were introduced to help tackle areas of Bournemouth where anti-social behaviour may be a problem and used in areas where existing CCTV network is not installed.
 
Further work will be required to upgrade the CCTV cameras in Bournemouth’s town centre from 2013.