Cllrs and officers in the control room
Barnet Council’s new Colindale CCTV control room has officially launched with updated new state-of-the-art technology and capabilities – alongside improved 24/7, 365-day-a-year monitoring.
The launch of the control room is a key milestone in Barnet’s Strategic CCTV improvement programme and is part of the council’s wider community safety strategy, which sees the council working closely with Police and other organisations to tackle crime, violence against women and girls, and anti-social behaviour.
The improvements will also significantly increase the number of images and coverage in the borough from 127 to over 800.
This is the latest in a raft of community safety initiatives, that have included regular community safety hubs and ward walks across the borough and the new ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ programme which has already led to over 160 arrests within two months on Colindale’s Grahame Park estate.
Cllr Sara Conway, Barnet’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Participation, said:
"Community safety is one of our top priorities and we’re delivering on that by investing far more in CCTV than ever before to transform the service.
“Over the last year, we’ve invested £2.3m upgrading, expanding and improving our CCTV network.
“We’ve launched a new state-of-the-art system which will deliver over 800 high-quality images from over 200 locations and a 24-hour monitoring service located in the Borough to help keep residents safer."
Part of Barnet’s community safety strategy includes improved collaboration with the Police and partners in the community, to bring more safety to the borough’s neighbourhoods.
Barnet Neighbourhood Superintendent, Lorraine Busby-McVey, said:
“Having high-quality modern CCTV cameras in an area helps us to positively identify criminals who are caught in the act of committing offences.
“The more offenders we catch the more others will avoid the risk of being caught. The footage can also be stored for long periods and is used as evidence in court to help convict offenders.
“I am delighted that we have such good quality CCTV available in Barnet and I know that this will reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in this area and will help residents, visitors and commuters feel safer.”
CCTV operatives will be trained to watch out for crime as well as for vulnerable people, and report this to the relevant emergency service.
The new cameras also allow for proactive as well as reactive community safety work, as part of the system includes re-deployable cameras. These cameras are not fixed but can be moved into temporary positions for days, weeks, or months at a time, meaning that the council can react to issues in specific areas and monitor them.
CCTV operatives