Agenda item

Further to Budget Scrutiny highlighting the need for a strategic approach to further capital investment in CCTV in Buckinghamshire, the Committee will receive an update on the next steps in terms of the development of a CCTV strategy.

Contributors:

Cllr Arif Hussain, Cabinet Member for Communities

Gideon Springer, Head of Community Safety

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Arif Hussin, Cabinet Member for Communities and Gideon Springer, Head of Community Safety to the meeting. 

Cllr Hussain gave a brief overview, making the following points:

• Buckinghamshire Council had inheritedseveral different CCTV systems from the five former councils which covered public spaces and council buildings.
• Some of these systems were 10-15 years old and would need to be replaced

• A draft had been developed for the CCTV Strategy 2023 to 2028 to cover the whole county.

Gideon Springer gave a presentation detailing the strategy with the following key points:

• Buckinghamshire Council was committed to helping the police prevent and detect crime and disorder and give residents a greater feeling of safety.
• There had been a wide consultation on the aims and principles for the strategy, with the key aims being increasing the safety of the public, prevention of anti-social behaviour and prevention of violence against women and girls.
• The majority of CCTV in public spaces was controlled by local authorities and had led to a 13% reduction in crime.
• A CCTV Advisory Group would be established to monitor all CCTV development work and performance. This will include Members, the police and other stakeholders including the Safer Buckinghamshire Partnership Board.
• There were 222 cameras in public spaces and car parks in Buckinghamshire.
• There were fixed and temporary CCTV cameras which could help with traffic management. Cameras were most effective when placed in town centres.
• From 1^st October 2023 a single control room would be established at High Wycombe.
• Provision of CCTV was not a statutory duty for the Council. A to £3-3.5 million pound investment was proposed for CCTV over the next three to four years, with the funding focussed on key towns, such as Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Chesham.
• The Council was compliant with the Surveillance Commissioner’s code of practice.
• The success of the CCTV system would be measured by a number of means, including the audit of incident logs, the number of arrests made and the use of data images to investigate and prosecute perpetrators.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Hussain and Gideon Springer for providing this overview and invited Members’ questions.  In response to questions and during subsequent discussions, the following main points were noted:

In response to a Member’s question about a map showing areas covered by CCTV, Gideon Springer explained that a map exists in the control room. Members would be invited to visit the control room on a given date 
                                                                                                           Action: Gideon Springer

• In response to a point made by a Member on the definition of high harm crimes, Gideon Springer agreed that this was a political term but noted that Members would be included in the CCTV oversight group.  He also noted that the council would retain control of the CCTV cameras but allow the  police to have access.
• A Member suggested that the use of emojis and facial images could be useful in alerting the public to the presence of CCTV and Gideon Springer advised that the effectiveness of different styles of signs was being considered.
• A Member commented that £3.5 million was a lot of money and raised concerns from the local community that CCTV is often welcomed by the police as it reduces the need for visible police presence. Gideon Springer agreed that £3.5 million was a large sum but said that from his 30-year experience as a police officer, he knew that many prosecutions and convictions would not happen without CCTV evidence. He also noted that CCTV was a significant tool in town centres and surveys showed that CCTV can help women to feel safer and it can deter potential criminals.
• Gideon Springer confirmed that the committee would be updated on progress.  A Member expressed a particular wish for progress to be reported as CCTV provision is a non-statutory service.
• A Member asked if the current location of CCTV cameras would be reviewed as some cameras have obstacles such as trees in the way. Gideon Springer replied that an oversight group would review the location of all CCTV cameras. The group would also consider the location of mobile cameras and check all existing cameras were working   Mobile cameras have been very effective against fly tipping when used in a targeted way. However, there is a finite budget for cameras and he hoped that other agencies might help to fund them. It was also important that the siting of new cameras should be lawful and necessary. The right of residents to privacy must also be taken into account.
• It was noted that existing cameras were mainly in the three main towns, although some town and parish councils also had some cameras which were monitored in the control room.  They would need to upgrade their equipment and make a contribution to monitoring costs in future.  Any new town or parish councils that might want to invest in CCTV could discuss their plans with Buckinghamshire Council to ensure a co-ordinated approach.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Hussain and Gideon Springer for this update on CCTV and noted that the Select Committee would receive progress reports in future.