New CCTV proposal for Bridgend County Borough
Poster information
Posted on: Tuesday 18 May 2021
Bridgend County Borough Council’s cabinet have heard details of plans for a new Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system.
The existing system which is 20 years old has reached the end of its working life with replacement parts no longer manufactured and cameras being decommissioned.
The CCTV provision helps the local authority and South Wales Police prevent and deal with issues around anti-social behaviour, violence and theft, helping to keep communities safe.
Between June 2017 and May 2019, the CCTV service helped in the investigation of 1,484 incidents in Bridgend, 146 incidents in Maesteg, 89 incidents in Porthcawl and 29 incidents in Pencoed. The council also provides a CCTV monitoring service to the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The CCTV provision is a vital tool in reducing the overall crime rates in the area and helping to bring justice when crime occurs.
A new system will help us to continue to prevent and detect crime, providing quality evidence to the police for prosecutions as well as manage emergencies and major incidents when necessary.
We are now in discussions with the Police and Crime Commissioner about running the service and liaising on the operation.
The council’s deputy leader Hywel Williams
The plans for the new system involve the installation of a state-of-the-art control room and Internet Protocol digital cameras which result in better images and can be easily relocated where needed. The new infrastructure would maintain existing coverage but also be flexible in its design to allow for expansion.
As part of the plans, the council is in discussions with Welsh Government and UK Government around potential funding for a wider Smarter Borough approach aimed at using different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect data.
The data is used to manage assets, resources and services more efficiently, for example, being able to detect whether rubbish bins are full enabling more efficient waste collection, monitoring car parking spaces to provide real time data on parking availability or gathering air quality data.
The proposal to set aside funding of £595,000 within the capital programme for the new CCTV system will now go before full council for a final decision.