CCTV cameras set for £200k upgrade

The district council CCTV team dealt with 14,000 incidents a year, a councillor said (generic image)

CCTV cameras in and around Stratford-upon-Avon are to be upgraded in a £200,000 scheme.

The funding, from the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will see improvements to the CCTV system overseen by Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

Five cameras will also be replaced in Stratford upon Avon, Bidford on Avon and Henley in Arden, while eight new mobile cameras are to be introduced.

The Liberal Democrat-run council approved the plans at a cabinet meeting this week, with council leader Susan Juned saying the work was "very much needed".

Councillor Natalie Gist, responsible for law and governance on the cabinet, said the CCTV team dealt with 14,000 incidents a year.

She said the devices not only captured criminal activity but also welfare incidents and increasingly environmental issues such as flooding.

“They also help with traffic accidents and flagging incidents to support partners and I would like to emphasise the importance of CCTV to our residents," she said.

“When we ask residents, they regularly and repeatedly express support for CCTV and a desire for crime reduction within the district, which CCTV contributes to.”

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.