CCTV cameras in Scarborough are set to be modernised with an investment of £366k.
The Borough Council’s CCTV service monitors a total of 244 cameras across the Borough. These include public space cameras, primarily in the town centres of Scarborough, Whitby and key locations such as Northstead and Barrowcliff.
In addition the CCTV service monitors cameras that are primarily in place for the Council’s operational use and to protect the Council’s own assets, specifically Dean Road Depot (22 cameras), Scarborough indoor market (26 cameras), Filey Evron Centre (15 cameras) plus 14 cameras on the Spa underground car park.
A large quantity of equipment in the control room is almost a decade old and much of the recording software is no longer supported by the manufacturers, with support for the system withdrawn in January 2020.
The Whitby cameras were upgraded to digital in 2017/18, however the majority of the 28 Scarborough town centre cameras are still analogue and
urgently need upgrading. The majority of the current cameras are almost 20 years old and provide relatively poor quality images, compared to the digital cameras.
Cabinet member for Stronger Communities - Carl Maw - says they are in need of upgrading.
Councillor Maw says the CCTV system has proved to be useful on many occasions and not just for preventing crime.
The council says that in the 3 months between September and November 2021 there were an average of 360 incidents per month and 60 arrests per month involving CCTV monitoring and that on average the team process around 75 reviews of cameras a month, of which around 50 are marked for evidence.
The borough council's communities and partnerships manager - Jo Ireland - says some of the kit is now 20 years old and needs replacing.
Councillor Carl Maw says the CCTV system is an important tool in keeping people safe in the borough.
Councillor Maw says there does seem to be support from the public for the use of CCTV in the borough.
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