Alison Hernandez: CCTV can help protect communities

For many years I have been a strong supporter of CCTV. With the right technology and support high quality CCTV deters crime from taking place in the first place and when incidents do happen, it hugely increases the chance of a victim receiving timely help and the perpetrator getting caught.

It’s for that reason I embarked, several years ago, on a programme of upgrading CCTV networks around Devon and Cornwall.

There was a huge variety of systems in place around the region. Some were relatively modern, gave high-definition coverage and had quality zoom lenses. Other systems were dated and had cameras which had ceased to function. Often recorded data had to be manually collected by police on a CD.

When the opportunity arose my office and partners made additional investment in this kit. The Safer Streets programmes, created by the last Government in response to concerns about levels of violence against women and girls, delivered upgrades to cameras in locations including Exeter, Plymouth and Torquay and paid for a mobile CCTV van which can be deployed wherever trouble is anticipated.

But all that investment only pays dividends in terms of making safer communities if there are good people monitoring it who have great working relationships with emergency services.

A major problem in my first term of office was that monitoring was haphazard. My team set about drawing up a standard specification and establishing monitoring hubs which communities could then connect to, meaning that a resilient network was set up.

I always make a point of visiting these hubs when I am in the area as the staff have a keen idea of what’s happening on the streets.

And last week I was lucky enough to be able to present a Commissioner’s Award to CCTV operator Megan Ward. In November, Megan was praised by detectives for her diligent work in tracking down a man following a sexual assault in the city centre.

The attack was captured on CCTV and operators from the control room managed to track the perpetrator as he fled across the city centre. However, he soon went out of frame and vanished.

More than a month later Megan was able to identify a male matching the description of the offender in the city centre and raised the alarm. He was arrested by police and was recently jailed for the offence. Because of Megan and her team, and their relationship with Devon & Cornwall Police, the city is a safer place for us all.

A couple of days later there was more good news as Devon & Cornwall Police control room, which handles 999 and non emergency 101 calls, celebrated significant reductions in call waiting times. These have been a challenge for years as requests for help have increased and the complexity of calls has too, but finally additional investment is paying dividends.

In both the council-run CCTV hubs and the force control room, we can invest all we want in technology and kit but ultimately we rely on the Megans of the world to think on their feet, act in the best interests of the residents they serve and build safer communities.