Published: Tuesday 10 November 2020
Investment in CCTV will help to keep communities safe in Kensington and Chelsea with new CCTV cameras to be installed across four locations between December 2020 and March 2021. The high street locations which will benefit are Kings Road, Portobello Road, High Street Kensington and Ladbroke Grove.
Since April 2019 the Council has spent £115,000 on fixing and upgrading the existing stock of 58 public space CCTV cameras across the borough. The cameras were installed in 1997 and were last updated in 2002. With better and modern technology, the footage quality has been improved and can capture in low light. Cameras can pan, tilt and zoom to cover larger areas.
Tomorrow, the Council’s Leadership team is expected to finalise plans for the further £421,000 improvements.
Cllr Emma Will, Lead Member for Community Safety, said:
“Installing new CCTV cameras will not only deter crime but also catch criminals in the act. This will lead to more arrests and prosecutions.
“Working with the police and our local communities to prevent crime is important to us as we strive to make sure Kensington and Chelsea is one of the safest places in London to live, work and visit.”
The Community Safety Team established a CCTV Advisory Group with volunteers from resident associations across the borough following an event with 40 residents in October 2019.
The locations were put forward by the Advisory Group, with professional guidance and data provided by the police and Council officers.
Local resident Michael Hallowes, Chair of the CCTV Advisory Group said:
“CCTV investment in Kensington and Chelsea is hugely important to making the borough a safer place for everyone.
“Residents from multiple Wards are volunteering as members of the CCTV Advisory Group to help get this right. We have worked hard over the past year with the Community Safety Team to ensure that the Council’s capital investment is spent in the areas that need it most.
“We will continue to support this work to both implement and quality assure the CCTV installed. We will also assess its effectiveness at helping the community, Council and police with preventing and detecting crime.”