The council Executive is being recommended to approve changes to the CCTV provision in Camberley, which will offer an improved service while making cost savings.
At the upcoming meeting on 21 January, a switch to a new CCTV monitoring provider is being proposed, combined with updated camera locations within the town centre and Old Dean.
The CCTV control room monitoring arrangements are currently organised through Woking Borough Council. The report recommends switching the service to Runnymede Borough Council, achieving a cost saving while offering a service which better matches the current requirements of the town centre partners who use the CCTV. This includes Surrey Heath Borough Council, Surrey Police and town centre businesses.
Public realm CCTV is important for a number of reasons, including personal safety reassurance to residents and visitors, deterring crime and anti-social behaviour, and detecting and investigating crime.
The current CCTV camera provision in Camberley town centre developed in stages over several decades. A review has shown that advances in technology mean that effective CCTV coverage of Camberley town centre could now be achieved using half the existing number of cameras.
Compliance surrounding CCTV has altered considerably over recent years, as has the town centre. Updated camera locations and improved functionality will continue to ensure that cameras are located correctly covering all key vantage points whilst continuing to meet data protection requirements.
Retaining and improving CCTV in the town centre and Old Dean supports the council’s strategy objective of keeping the borough safe & secure.
As part of the contract offered by Runnymede there is also the potential for the authority to take over the handling of the council’s out of hours calls, which are currently managed through a third-party contract. Runnymede already delivers this service to multiple boroughs across the county and in North Hampshire. The inclusion of this service into a CCTV contract presents a further financial and operational benefit to Surrey Heath.
Read more about the Public Realm CCTV provision review item
Access the Agenda for the Executive meeting of 21 January 2025