Fury over CCTV glitch 'taking city back to 1970s'

Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID

Businesses in one of Birmingham's busiest districts have criticised the length of time police have been cut off from the area's CCTV.

Those in the Westside Business Improvement District (BID) said issues had plagued street wardens and police for the second weekend in a row.

Last week, it was revealed officers had been left unable to access CCTV camera feeds after a technical issue.

A statement from West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council said CCTV hardware was still functioning and being monitored.

But the two bodies acknowledged problems sharing the pictures during "planned upgrades".

Pete Willis, senior street warden, said a loss of live feeds had wreaked havoc and caused security risks in what he dubbed a return to the 1970s.

He cited several incidents including one where an ejected hotel guest had been drunk and disorderly.

"There were numerous confrontations called through to police, but the only response was to see if there were any officers nearby as they could not see anything on CCTV screens," Mr Willis said.

"Previously they would be able to turn the camera round, monitor the situation and gain evidence if needed.”

Lawrence Barton is Birmingham’s first night-time economy champion

Lawrence Barton, Birmingham’s first night-time economy champion, said he was disappointed the issue had persisted.

“It is wholly unacceptable that we are still in this dire situation," he said.

Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID, added: “This is a complete fiasco that has put public safety at risk.

“This disastrous planning and decision-making by the city council has put the city back several decades and means that the police and wardens are working blind."

Upgrade work

The problems have been caused by upgrade work which has left officers unable to see camera footage.

Bosses said they were working together to keep disruption to a minimum as planned upgrades took place.

“These systems are currently being upgraded to improve the quality of the council’s CCTV network," a previous statement by the police and council read.

The statement added that the city’s CCTV network remained fully operational, with cameras monitored 24/7 by experienced and professional CCTV operators.

It promised planned disruption would be kept to an absolute minimum but it remains unclear how long the issues will last.