Leeds City Council Community Safety CCTV monitors over 244 CCTV in areas ranging from the city centre to district and town centres across Leeds, Garforth, Kippax, Otley, Yeadon, Horsforth, Wetherby, Morley, Headingley and Hyde Park, Crossgates, Haltonmoor, Eastend Park, Farnley, Farsley, Oulton and Pudsey. This service is an invaluable part of the current crime reduction strategy.
Community Safety CCTV also has direct links to the city's Urban Traffic Control System (UTC) and have access to 72 cameras as part of the partnership agreement. West Yorkshire Police ACR and local police stations in Leeds; Millgarth, Stainbeck, Weetwood, Pudsey, Holbeck and the Leeds Bridewell can view incidents as they happen.
The CCTV cameras are monitored 24/7 and are intended to provide public reassurance in crime prevention, detection and allaying the fear of crime.
CCTV images recorded provide vital evidence to law enforcement agencies to assist in the provision of evidence in relation to the apprehension and prosecution of offenders.
Community Safety CCTV operate (two mobile CCTV vans) in the communities of Leeds working in partnership with Neighbourhood Policing Teams and are also used in multi-agency operations.
CCTV images are viewed daily at the control room by a team of police specialists who are trained Police CCTV Liaison Officers.
A strict code of practice based on Home Office guidelines governs the use of the CCTV system and relates to issues such as data protection Audit and storage of all images and deletion of images and recordings after 31 days.
Stringent privacy regulations explicitly prohibits commercial use of the tapes and their images.
The objectives of the Community Safety CCTV scheme are:
To reduce the fear of crime and offer reassurance to the public, by
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Facilitating the apprehension and prosecution of offenders.
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Assisting in the prevention and detection of crime committed in public areas.
To achieve the above objectives the main function and responsibilities of the CCTV operators are to:
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Work a shift pattern that provide the monitoring of Leeds City Council Community Safety CCTV on a 24 hour basis.
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Respond to incidents and report to the police and other agencies when necessary.
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Provide statements for court purposes.
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Act as professional witnesses.
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Keep accurate records of incidents.
Existing Home Office research and other evaluations indicate CCTV is part of an overall strategy in reducing crime and fear of crime and plays a key role in helping the police detect crime and convict criminals.
For example studies show a 41 per cent overall decrease in vehicle crime in car parks where CCTV has been installed.
A new CCTV facility is planned for 2010/11 which will provide one of the most modern CCTV control rooms in the country and will utilise state of the art technology to help identify offenders more effectively.
We are also entering into a new partnership with West Yorkshire passenger transport. ( Metro ) in the near future. The cost of running the CCTV service annually is around 1.5million. Attached is a copy of the Leedswatch code of practise explaining how Community Safety CCTV operates.