A decade after the matter was first raised in the Town Hall chamber, Croydon Council is about to embark on an upgrade of its borough-wide CCTV system.

The council has allocated a budget of £2million for the upgrade, the first time that the system has been overhauled since the 1990s.

The existing network comprises more than 100 cameras. With parts of the existing analogue network nearing the end of their serviceable life, the council is seeking to replace it with a digital system, which they say will “increase the network’s capability with higher resolution images”.

Croydon has one of the largest number of CCTV cameras of any local authority in the country. The borough has 96 static cameras and 10 mobile units that they say “can be set up at different locations are strategically located at sites with higher levels of reported crime or high footfall”.

“Our CCTV network is an important tool in deterring crime and supporting our vital emergency services,” according to Hamida Ali, the cabinet member responsible. “The network helps keep all our communities safer in the town and district centres across the borough and supports our drive to reduce violence.

“We want to make sure we are using it proportionally and sensibly. That is why we are consulting to make sure we understand how the community expect us to use the network and what they think of it.”

Go online to have your say in the consultation.

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