Archived press
release.
A network of four closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are
now in place helping local police combat crime thanks to a
partnership that has been backed by the Home Office.
The Felixstowe CCTV Partnership will officially launch the new
system at 10am on Tuesday (July 22) at Felixstowe police station
where the pictures captured by the cameras will be monitored by a
special volunteer team.
“Thanks to a successful bid by the Suffolk Coastal Community
Safety Partnership to the Home Office for £37,000 of funding we
have been able to get the cameras but we would not have been able
to proceed with the scheme without the support of the local town
council, the chamber of commerce and the county council,” said Cllr
Doreen Savage, Chairman of the Felixstowe Community CCTV
Partnership.
“This will be an important additional tool to assist local police
in working to combat and prevent crime and disorder. Thanks to the
commitment and perseverance of the partnership, we now have four
cameras in place that will keep an eye on what is going on in the
seafront area between the Leisure Centre and the Spa Pavilion, and
also around the shopping area in Hamilton Road.
“I would like to particularly thank Felixstowe Town Council and the
Felixstowe Chamber of Commerce for agreeing to meet the running
costs of the scheme. The cameras are now fully operational and are
feeding their images into a control room at the local police
station where it will be monitored at peak periods by a special
volunteer group,” added Cllr Savage.
The use of the volunteers will be the key to making the system a
success. While the CCTV system records all camera images 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, it will be the dedicated band of volunteers
who will provide the support by monitoring the service at peak
times to make the service responsive to whatever is being caught on
screen.
All the volunteers will of course have to undertake security
checks and training before being allowed to perform this vital
role.
Felixstowe Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Gallant said: “The system
will be an invaluable tool in our continued fight against crime and
disorder within our town. The use of CCTV not only allows us to
identify offenders but more importantly acts as a significant
deterrent for those with criminal intent that are looking for easy
low risk targets across the region.”
He went on to say: “Our newly recruited Volunteer Co-ordinators
are working hard to recruit, train and deploy a group of able
volunteers who will live monitor the system at key times. They will
have the facility to direct Police patrols to incidents occurring
within the
town.”