It was resolved that all items be webcast.

Apologies were received from Councillor de Wiggondene.

There were no Substitute Members.

There were no Visiting Members.

There were no disclosures.

It was agreed that all items be taken on public as proposed.

It was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2012 be agreed as a correct record of the meeting and duly signed.

Interviews with:

·  Chief Inspector Jon Bumpus, District Commander for Maidstone;

·  Vikram Sahdev, Head of Business Development, Medway Council; and

·  John Littlemore, Head of Housing and Community Services.

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting, Chief Inspector Jon Bumpus, District Commander for Maidstone, Vikram Sahdev, Head of Business Development, Medway Council, Lynne Goodwin, Operations Manager, Medway Council and John Littlemore, Head of Housing and Community Services.

Mr Sahdev provided an overview of the implementation of the CCTV monitoring service at the Medway Control Centre and the Partnership between Maidstone, Swale and Gravesham Councils.

Mr Sahdev addressed the Committee’s concerns informing them that:

·  The project had been delivered on time and within budget;

·  The six operators from Maidstone had been retained as had the local knowledge that they brought to the team via cross training; and

·  Maidstone staffs now had increased pay, were working reduced hours and had suffered no loss of income.

Mr Littlemore informed the Committee that there had been no down time as a result of the move, which had been a concern for Maidstone Borough Council. 

Chief Inspector Bumpus responded to Members questions on the impact of the move on the police.  He had no issues to raise but told the Committee that he would like the Police be able to down load CCTV images remotely. It was explained that this was not part of the current contract with Medway but a solution to this was being developed.  Members were informed that the technology existed for this but protocols needed to be in place.  The images were owned by Maidstone Borough Council but in order for evidence to be used effectively in court for prosecution strict protocols needed to be established.  It was explained that the lead officer working on this was employed by Kent Police and had recently retired.  Once the post had been filled this project would resume. The Committee were keen that this should happen as soon as possible and were supportive of the growth and development of the monitoring service.

Mr Littlemore informed the Committee that stakeholder meetings had taken place on a monthly basis and had now been reduced to bi-annual meetings owing to the success of the move. A meeting had taken place the previous evening and stakeholders had been presented with positive monthly statistics provided by the Medway Control Centre showing a breakdown of arrests and occurrences (Appendix A).  It was established that the stakeholder meetings were not public meetings.  Members felt that future meetings should be advertised to all Councillors.

The Committee considered the use of mobile cameras in the borough.  It was informed that mobile cameras were a pooled resources owned by partners within the Community Safety Unit. They were utilised on a temporary basis where there was an evidential need. Requests were made to the Community Safety Unit and cameras were deployed by the PSCO. All cameras were in use at present.

Members discussed the criteria for the permanent placement of fixed cameras in urban and rural areas, including parishes, and asked that this information be provided for them to consider.  The Committee considered the purpose and effectiveness of CCTV cameras.  It was ascertained  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.