Agenda item

Garrett McEntee, Technical Services Manager gave witness evidence.

In the presentation and discussion the following points were made:

·         The CCTV service had over 1,000 cameras. There were 12 concierge sites; two of which were managed by TMO’s with the remaining 10 managed by the council. The offices were opened between 16-24 hours a day. The CCTV was in operation on 33 estates. There were 6 roof access systems which included 11 cameras.

·         Maintaining CCTV helped to support crime prevention measures, helped to address anti-social behaviour, improved the quality of residents’ lives, provided a crime and anti-social behaviour deterrent and assisted with crime investigation.

·         Capital Improvement Work involved maintaining the existing equipment rather than implementing new schemes.

·         CCTV repair works were carried out by the Housing Repairs Team. Maintenance works included six monthly maintenanceand an annual service. Responsive repairs were undertaken to address minor repair works i.e. breakdowns and equipment failure.

·         When repairs work was undertaken, all the equipment i.e. cameras, recording equipment and the PA systems were serviced and cleaned

·         Breakdown information was recorded and sent to repair officers.

·         Data was uploaded into the maintenance programme.

·         The CCTV Capital Improvement Strategy considered capital investment availability, the forward improvement plan, any technical need for the proposed works, resident and stakeholder feedback, crime and anti-social behaviour, officer consultation feedback, other capital improvement projects and alternative security measures.

·         The service was trying to work more closely with stakeholders, particularly when upgrading installations.

·         The Capital Improvement Strategy allocated resources to the places it was most needed.

·         When CCTV was being considered there had to be a clear stated purpose for CCTV plus consultation and engagement with the public and partners. The solution had to be proportionate and have the potential to meet the stated purpose and there had to be a regard to privacy and family life. Home office guidance stated that deployment should not continue for longer than necessary, however it was impractical to remove cameras and the problem could then return.

·         There had to be a balance between public protection and individual privacy.

·         Different sites required different solutions. Scheme design considerations included a clear understanding of security concerns and the options available, the size of the site to have CCTV coverage, equipment specification (which was a changing field), assessment of operational issues, assessment of managerial implications and clarification on objectives and outcomes to be achieved i.e. crowd control, theft reduction and unauthorised entry.

·         On the Elthorne Estate, a wall which had been used by congregating youths linked to gangs had been removed and this had stopped them from congregating there.

·         Following a request from residents on one estate to install more CCTV, the Crime Prevention Officer put forward a number of recommendations which included a small increase in cameras plus a number of alternative security measures including an ‘A’ frame which would allow cyclists through but only if they dismounted. Pushchair and wheelchair access was more restricted but this could be alleviated by having the base a little wider. Another alternative measure was to fit bollards across footpaths which were wide enough to allow wheelchair access. Old fashioned paving stones were irregular and difficult to ride over quickly and helped to slow bikes down. Restrictive seating could act as alternative security measure. It could help to address youths congregating around seating and bin enclosures could be designed so it was not possible to hide. Ladder guards design could be improved to improve security and prevent access to restricted/less secure areas.

·         A CCTV dome camera could provide effective CCTV. People on the ground could not see in which direction the camera was pointing.

·         Other ways to improve security included to improve lighting and estate visibility, make better use of fences, prune trees and remove hedge overgrowth, remove congregation focal points, remove non-illuminate areas, install suitable lighting where scaffolding was being used and address door entry failures.

·         Concerns were raised that alterative security measures could affect accessibility and amenity for residents. Garrett McEntree stated that it was important to consider each specific site and the requirements and alternative security measures and this would be included in the stakeholder process.

·         The council had a seven year capital investment programme, some projects were being funded by Section 106 money and CCTV priorities were being identified in line with the asset strategy.

·         The project delivery process map involved a feasibility analysis/commissioning document, consultation with internal and external crime prevention bodies, a ballot/consultation requirement, scheme design, scheme procurement and scheme implementation.

·         Some areas and estates had more CCTV than others.

·         More work could take place to make the service more responsive to residents’ comments.

·         Work was being done to categorise cameras with problems e.g. near trees or poor lighting so they could be managed as a group. A database was being set up to assist with this.

·         Work was taking place with the Geographic Information System (GIS) team to map every camera in the borough.

·         Depending on the specification, each camera cost approximately £3500 to install. The maintenance cost could be provided to the committee.

·         It was not possible to provide crime data comparisons pre and post CCTV installation as the CCTV team mainly focussed on anti-social behaviour rather than other types of crime.

·         It was important to use the data the CCTV provided. The concierge officers worked with the anti-social behaviour team and the police would be called if they were required. Taking action was a deterrent to those who committed crime and/or anti-social behaviour.

·         Work was taking place to develop a performance indicator.

·         Work was taking place to correlate anti-social behaviour work with incidents. This would be completed by the 1st/2nd Quarter 2016/17.

·         The committee would be provided with a map of the general areas of the cameras in the borough.

·         In response to a question from a member of the public about how smart the CCTV was, the officer advised that as technology improved the CCTV became smarter. More tracking was now taking place and equipment such as trip wires and motion sensors were being introduced. Sherlock was a new system that could search through historical data quickly. This would be an area for more development in the future.

·         In response to a question from a member of the public about the number of crimes, the officer advised that every time a request for CCTV was made, this was recorded and a report was written on the database. The concierge service generated approximately 1600 anti-social behaviour and crime reports each year.

RESOLVED:

That the evidence be noted.