With a bank holiday weekend approaching and warmer weather predicted, Southend-on-Sea City Council is set to debut its new CCTV van on Bank Holiday Monday (10 April).
The new mobile CCTV unit is owned and operated by the council’s CCTV Control Room and was completely funded by a government grant secured by Essex Police on behalf of the council.
The van is equipped with four external digital cameras plus one dome camera on top. The van will also be a part of the Townlink radio network and offer the same service as the CCTV control room which includes zoom and pan capabilities that produce high quality digital images, which has obvious benefits when identifying people for prosecution purposes.
Simon Ford, head of community safety at Southend-on-Sea City Council, said: “Keeping Southend residents and businesses safe is a key priority for the council. Our new CCTV van, which hasn’t cost the council anything, is making its debut in the City on Bank Holiday Monday and will work in conjunction with our CCTV Control Room and Townlink radio system.
“The addition of the van will provide a more visible presence and ensure we can proactively monitor key areas across the City to help keep everyone safe, and be prepared for any incidents that may arise. It also shows how seriously the council is taking the safety and security of residents, businesses and visitors.”
Inspector David Gardiner, Essex Police and the Southend Community Policing Team, added: “This new CCTV van is a fantastic tool and will help prevent crime and antisocial behaviour across the City. It is a piece of equipment that many other local authorities do not have and shows the continued commitment of Essex Police and Southend-on-Sea City Council to keeping Southend safe. The vehicle will be proactively deployed across the City and will be a visible and reassuring presence.”
Southend-on-Sea was an early adopter of CCTV and the technology went through a £2.2m upgrade in 2021. An extra 41 digital cameras placed in new areas alongside the 165 existing cameras across the whole city.
Barry Davis, surveillance operations manager, who oversees the running of the CCTV Control Room which runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, added: “The £2.2m CCTV upgrade and growth of the Townlink radio system, the fastest growing radio service in England, means our CCTV van will be part of huge well established network consisting of multiple partners and agencies.
“We have 176 active users on our Townlink radio system consisting of police, BID rangers, community safety officers and businesses. This provides quicker responses and resolutions and is a great example of partnership working. Our CCTV operatives feed off intel and the more we are given the more proactive we can be, highlighting how much stronger and safer we are when we all work together to keep everyone safe.
“We will also look to share the CCTV van with the police and other local authorities across our region, especially when there are big events taking place such festivals and large gatherings, that would benefit from the support of a mobile CCTV unit.”
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