CCTV pilot given go-ahead in crime 'hotspots'

The 12-month pilot will see CCTV cameras put up in some Birmingham tower blocks

CCTV cameras are set to be installed in tower blocks in Birmingham after a 12-month pilot scheme was approved by the city council.

Its aim is to help residents feel safer, with the cameras to be installed across specific "hotspots" that have experienced significant crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

It would also provide evidence to support a possible wider roll-out of CCTV across council-owned high-rises.

"This is a pilot and we need, through the course of the 12 months, to start looking at our long-term strategies around roll-out for CCTV," said Guy Chaundy, from Birmingham City Council.

The locations for cameras were chosen using crime data, accounts from tenants, and data from the authority's internal systems around anti-social behaviour reports.

The council decommissioned all CCTV in 2014, because of the cost involved in upgrading the system at the time.

Instead of CCTV, night security and secure entry systems were added to all high-rise blocks.

A report on the proposals said the use of CCTV beyond the pilot could involve introducing a service charge of £1.97 per week.

More than 1,160 tenancies would be affected by the pilot programme.

However, the council acknowledged the difficulties many tenants and leaseholders were facing, such as the high cost of living.

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