CCTV LAUNCHED IN FELIXSTOWE
| Published: 25th July 2008 19:45 |
A network of four closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras are now in place in Felixstowe and will help local police combat crime.
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.
Cllr Doreen Savage, Chairman of the Felixstowe Community CCTV Patnership said "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.".
"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.
The running costs of the scheme will be met by Felixstowe Town Council and the Felixstowe chamber of Commerce. Images will be fed into a control room at the local police station and will be monitored at peak periods by a special volunteer group.
This group of volunteers will be the key to making the system a sucess. Whilst 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 and making it responsive to whatever is being caught on screen. All the volunteers will 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."
