Nine more cameras focus on area's crime hot spots
By Claire O'Neill
A crime-busting network of CCTV cameras has been hailed as a vital weapon in the fight against crime.
Boasting the latest digital technology, the scheme by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has added nine new cameras to the 31 previously used to tackle crime and the fear of crime in Biddulph, Cheadle, Leek and surrounding villages.
Five of the new cameras, including one in Biddulph at Knypersley crossroads, offer automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) in "hot spots" chosen by Staffordshire police to combat vehicle crime including taking without consent and driving without insurance or tax.
Coun Gill Burton, portfolio holder for communities, said: "Improved community safety is a top priority for the council, which is why we made the enhancement of CCTV a major capital project.
"The new system is light years ahead of the old one, and will prove invaluable in preventing and detecting crime while reassuring the public."
The system cost £500,000 to install and will cost £20,000 a year to run.
But the council will save an estimated £75,000 over five years by contracting the monitoring of the cameras to High Peak Borough Council as part of its strategic alliance to improve efficiency by sharing services.
High Peak already has a monitoring room staffed round the clock to manage the existing network.
Andrew Bingham, High Peak's executive councillor for social and community development, said: "The agreement to monitor CCTV for Staffordshire Moorlands will make a significant contribution to community safety in our partner authority while helping sustain our own system through additional income.
"This type of arrangement demonstrates the value of our strategic alliance, which is expected to be achieving an annual saving of around £1.9m a year by the end of its third year".
The cameras in the three towns went live at the start of September, followed by the village cameras in October. To ensure an uninterrupted service, existing cameras were kept working until the new ones were switched on.
Digital images from the new system are relayed to Leek Police Station, enabling real-time monitoring which means police can respond quickly to incidents.
Other benefits include the integration of Shopwatch and Pubwatch schemes plus a state-of-the-art management system to control the cameras, digital video recording system and automatic number plate recognition.
The installation and management of the system has been contracted to Nottingham-based Quadrant Security Group for five years, with a possible two-year extension after that. The contract was awarded to Quadrant on the basis of best value after tenders from seven companies.
Insp Steve Maskrey, commander of Leek and Biddulph neighbourhood policing unit added: "The cameras have been located in line with our intelligence on crime hot spots in order to support our ongoing fight against crime and the fear of crime across Staffordshire Moorlands".
A crime-busting network of CCTV cameras has been hailed as a vital weapon in the fight against crime.
Boasting the latest digital technology, the scheme by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has added nine new cameras to the 31 previously used to tackle crime and the fear of crime in Biddulph, Cheadle, Leek and surrounding villages.
Five of the new cameras, including one in Biddulph at Knypersley crossroads, offer automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) in "hot spots" chosen by Staffordshire police to combat vehicle crime including taking without consent and driving without insurance or tax.
Coun Gill Burton, portfolio holder for communities, said: "Improved community safety is a top priority for the council, which is why we made the enhancement of CCTV a major capital project.
"The new system is light years ahead of the old one, and will prove invaluable in preventing and detecting crime while reassuring the public."
The system cost £500,000 to install and will cost £20,000 a year to run.
But the council will save an estimated £75,000 over five years by contracting the monitoring of the cameras to High Peak Borough Council as part of its strategic alliance to improve efficiency by sharing services.
High Peak already has a monitoring room staffed round the clock to manage the existing network.
Andrew Bingham, High Peak's executive councillor for social and community development, said: "The agreement to monitor CCTV for Staffordshire Moorlands will make a significant contribution to community safety in our partner authority while helping sustain our own system through additional income.
"This type of arrangement demonstrates the value of our strategic alliance, which is expected to be achieving an annual saving of around £1.9m a year by the end of its third year".
The cameras in the three towns went live at the start of September, followed by the village cameras in October. To ensure an uninterrupted service, existing cameras were kept working until the new ones were switched on.
Digital images from the new system are relayed to Leek Police Station, enabling real-time monitoring which means police can respond quickly to incidents.
Other benefits include the integration of Shopwatch and Pubwatch schemes plus a state-of-the-art management system to control the cameras, digital video recording system and automatic number plate recognition.
The installation and management of the system has been contracted to Nottingham-based Quadrant Security Group for five years, with a possible two-year extension after that. The contract was awarded to Quadrant on the basis of best value after tenders from seven companies.
Insp Steve Maskrey, commander of Leek and Biddulph neighbourhood policing unit added: "The cameras have been located in line with our intelligence on crime hot spots in order to support our ongoing fight against crime and the fear of crime across Staffordshire Moorlands".
