Town centre's CCTV cameras set to be replaced

CCTV cameras in Eastleigh town centre are set to be upgraded.

Plans to decommission 50 CCTV cameras in a town centre are to be reversed, following complaints from residents and businesses.

In July Eastleigh Borough Council said the system was too expensive to maintain, increasingly outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

A grant of £50,000 from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) means 51 outdated cameras will be replaced with new ones.

Eastleigh Borough Council said it would allow a "more modern and effective approach" to town centre monitoring.

The decision to decommission the cameras was criticised by high street business owners who said it would lead to an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Following concerns from residents and the police, the borough council submitted a case to the police and crime commissioner (PCC) asking for funding to replace the cameras in Eastleigh and Hedge End.

Announcing the approval of £50,000 in funding, PCC Donna Jones said new cameras would make the town centre "significantly safer".

"It really does help having CCTV, we know that, not only is it a deterrent for people who want to commit crimes in and around the town centre, but when incidents happen, it's a brilliant tool for the police to carry out investigations and very often identify people," she added.

The council is yet to say where the new cameras will be placed.

"We're pleased to be working with the OPCC to deliver a more modern and effective approach to town centre monitoring, which will follow the decommissioning of the current obsolete system that is no longer fit for purpose," it said.