Leeds City Council Community Safety CCTV

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 1. Facilitating the apprehension and prosecution of offenders. 2. 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:

Work a shift pattern that provide the monitoring of Leeds City Council Community Safety CCTV on a 24 hour basis. Respond to incidents and report to the police and other agencies when necessary. Provide statements for court purposes. Act as professional witnesses. 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.

CCTV cameras in CBD to almost double: Safety boost for city

THE number of security cameras monitoring Ballarats CBD and nightclub precincts will almost double after the federal government yesterday honoured a commitment to fund $100,000 worth of community safety measures in the city. Federal Justice Minister Brendan OConnor was in Ballarat yesterday to deliver the funds for safety projects in the city, in particular closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to deter crime and antisocial behaviour. The funding will see the number of CCTV cameras around the city jump from 12 to 20 by September next year. New cameras will be installed in the high activity

areas of Mair Street and at the corner of Camp and Field streets. The federal government funding follows a promise made by Premier Ted Baillieu during last years state election compaign that a Coalition government would give $200,000 for additional CCTV cameras in Ballarats CBD. Inquiries made to the Premiers office were not returned yesterday. The Ballarat City council consulted with Victoria Police to identify areas of concern in the nightclub precinct to determine the best location for the new cameras. Currently, cameras are located in Lydiard Street North, between Sturt and Mair streets, as well as Police Lane. Council also undertook a review of the location of licensed premises which operate after 1am and examined the areas where breaches of local laws happened. Yesterdays funding comes under the federal governments Safer Suburbs program, which aims to make city centres and community facilities safer places by funding measures such as CCTV systems and street lighting. More than 40 Safer Suburbs projects have been identified across Australia. Through this funding, Ballarat residents will be safer and feel safer in their community, Mr OConnor said yesterday. Were committed to reducing crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as reducing the fear of crime in the community. Member for Ballarat Catherine King said Safer Suburbs would enable the city council to install further CCTV systems to improve safety in and around the Ballarat CBD. (It) will further reduce crime and antisocial behaviour by funding ... a range of community safety initiatives, Ms King said. Ballarat mayor Craig Fletcher said the new cameras would be in line with the existing CCTV model in Ballarat, where council owned and maintained the monitoring infrastructure and the system was operated by Victoria Police. CCTV has been effective in assisting with behavioural change and has had an impact on anti-social behaviour in the precinct. CCTV is a crime-detection tool which is known to have a deterrent effect and which can also assist police in apprehending offenders by providing clear footage of any incidents, Cr Fletcher said. Victoria Police figures show that since the introduction of CCTV in the Ballarat CBD there have been 65 incidents of assault or damage where footage has been viewed and/or downloaded. CCTV footage has also been used to help with the investigation of stolen vehicles, weapons offences, burglaries, thefts and hoon driving.