Issue - meetings

1.  That the decommissioning of CCTV static cameras to 30 to ensure compliance with the regulatory Code of Practice be endorsed.

2.  That authority be delegated to the Head of Housing & Community Services to carry out consultation as outlined in Paragraph 4.1 of the report and to provide a further report to the Committee within 6 months recommending the hours of live monitoring.

3.  That the Head of Housing & Community Services be directed to explore alternative technologies to improve data transfer and reduce revenue costs and provide a report to the Committee within 6 months.

4.  That a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of mobile CCTV cameras be reported to the Committee within 6 months.

The Community Partnerships and Resilience Manager presented the results of a review of the existing static CCTV cameras and recommended the decommissioning of those that were not deemed compliant with the regulatory Code of Practice.

During discussion Members raised the following points:

·  CCTV was beneficial to the Police for providing evidence of crime and to protect the welfare of on-duty Police Officers.

·  Volunteers could be sought in order to save money on the cost of monitoring the live footage.

·  The review had used data recorded over the summer months, and it was queried whether there would have been a larger number of incidences captured over the winter months when nights were longer.

·  There was no longer a need for a large number of static CCTV cameras as many shops now had external CCTV provision, and people could use mobile phones to record incidences.

·  CCTV cameras were not acting as a deterrent and should be removed.

·  Most of the cameras were placed in the town centre, but other urban areas within the Borough experienced highe crime rates.

In response to Members’ queries the Community Partnerships and Resilience Manager advised that:

·  Static CCTV cameras had been installed in areas that were originally high crime areas. As crime rates had changed a number of cameras had been decommissioned. Regular review was recommended to ensure that cameras were stationed at the most useful sites.

·  The majority of CCTV cameras were in the town centre as this was the busiest area of the Borough. Many agencies including the MaidSafe network used the cameras to foster a safe night-time economy.

·  The Medway Control Room moved to electronic recording of incidences in June 2016, and it was this data that was used for the review. The town centre was also at its busiest during the lighter summer months.

Members requested an additional review of the effectiveness of mobile CCTV cameras to return to Committee within 6 months.

RESOLVED: That:

1.  The decommissioning of CCTV static cameras to 30 to ensure compliance with the regulatory Code of Practice be endorsed.

For – 8  Against – 1  Abstain - 0

2.  Authority be delegated to the Head of Housing & Community Services to carry out consultation as outlined in Paragraph 4.1 of the report and to provide a further report to the Committee within 6 months recommending the hours of live monitoring.

For – 9  Against- 0  Abstain - 0

3.  The Head of Housing & Community Services be directed to explore alternative technologies to improve data transfer and reduce revenue costs and provide a report to the Committee within 6 months.

For – 9  Against- 0   Abstain - 0

4.  A comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of mobile CCTV cameras be reported to the Committee within 6 months.

For – 8  Against – 1  Abstain – 0

Councillor Blackmore wished her dissent to be noted as she felt that the objective of the evaluation was unclear.