A £310,000 upgrade for Bromley’s closed circuit television (CCTV) control room is launched today as one of the weapons the borough is using in its fight against local crime and bad behaviour.
Most of Bromley’s residents say they feel safe in the borough but are concerned about a rising tide of antisocial behaviour. The new CCTV system is the latest major initiative in the Safer Bromley Partnership’s bid to curb crime and antisocial behaviour.
The control room, based at the Civic Centre, monitors around 160 cameras in the borough, all day, every day. Professionally-trained operators are in direct contact with Police and other services to alert them to any problems. The upgrade allows better quality images from the cameras to be stored digitally rather than on video tape which means they can be much more easily searched, stored and used by the Police as evidence.
Local Police Officers are regular visitors to the control room in search of information to help with their investigations. Last year Bromley Council had more than 700 visits to the control room to view and take evidential footage. On average 30 pieces of evidence are taken by police or enforcement officers every month.
Cllr. George Taylor, Executive Councillor for Public Protection and Safety and Chairman of the Safer Bromley Partnership, said: “We are proud to have such an up-to-date CCTV facility here in Bromley.
“As a key member of the Safer Bromley Partnership, the Council is determined to work with partners such as the local Police to ensure that Bromley is a safe place to be. As the Chairman of the Partnership, I will not rest until we have done everything we can to crack down on crime and antisocial behaviour in the borough. The upgraded CCTV control room is another addition to our armoury against the kind of activities that can make people’s lives a misery.”
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