Fighting crime and making people feel safer: Councillors approve £1m upgrades to local CCTV network

Councillors have approved plans to invest in £1m worth of upgrades to the local CCTV network.

A report submitted to North East Lincolnshire Council’s Cabinet set out how the existing network, which was first installed in the 1990s and has had a number of minor upgrades since, is now outdated, costly to maintain, and has significant gaps in coverage.

The proposals approved by Councillors at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 8 July, asked for an investment of £1 million  to add a further 10 rapid deployment cameras, a new tannoy system to help with responses to emerging situations, and a number of system upgrades to lower maintenance costs and improve efficiency.

The proposals also included plans for additional CCTV coverage around Cleethorpes Armed Forces Memorial Gate

Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer & stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “As a Council we want to reduce crime and make people feel safe when they visit our area. We have seen an 8% rise in crime annually in the last two years. This is unacceptable.

“People shouldn’t have to worry about crime and anti-social behaviour when they’re doing their weekly shopping or meeting friends for coffee.

“We have an extensive CCTV network but there is room for improvement, and this significant investment will see system upgrades, additional camera coverage and some new features too.

“Before putting together these proposals we consulted extensively with the public, businesses and local emergency services to find out how safe people felt and what more we could do. I’m thrilled that the Council’s cabinet have now approved these plans.”