Here's talking at you, kid – new CCTV to come in

8:15am Tuesday 27th March 2007

Comments (27)   Have your say »

VANDALS in Penhill will soon hear the voice of Big Brother if they are caught carrying out criminal activity.

Swindon Council is planning to pilot a revolutionary CCTV scheme on the housing estate which will allow control centre operators to talk to anyone involved in anti-social behaviour.

State-of-the-art mobile wireless cameras with microphones will be positioned in trouble hot spots enabling staff at the council's Waterside CCTV station to bark out warnings if they see an offence being committed.

It follows a successful two-month trial in Welcombe Avenue, Park North, where a mobile camera has halved residents' complaints about anti-social behaviour.

Mark Walker, policy and regeneration manager at Swindon Council, said that the mobile unit had been so successful as a deterrent against crime that three more had been ordered.

And if the pilot in Penhill proves equally as effective the talking camera technology could spread across the town.

"We have had this camera in Welcombe Avenue for the last couple of months and we have got three more ordered because it has been so successful," explained Mr Walker.

"Our call centre has seen a reduction in complaints from Welcome Avenue of at least 50 per cent.

"A big selling point of this technology is that it does not record locally. It is wireless and so images go back to our control room at Waterside, which is monitored 24/7."

A 0.1-second time delay ensures that the cameras transmit digital images in almost real time and the new software will also have the capability to broadcast pictures into police vehicles.

The mobile units cost £15,000 each and are similar in design to the cameras used in the reality show Big Brother in that they can rotate 360 degrees.

Attached to the top of street lights they provide a bird's eye view of a 200 sq m area.

Mr Walker said: "The camera can be attached in a matter of minutes and we can move it just as easily.

"The aim of these cameras is to use them in trouble hot spots to give residents respite from anti-social behaviour problems.

"From the town centre we are covering a seven to 10km area so we have good borough-wide coverage.

But as long as we have a 250-volt power source we can use these cameras anywhere across the town. One thing we did late last year was relay all our images from the control room back to Gablecross police station, which gave the police the opportunity to access any evidence."

But it is the council's aim to go one step further with the new surveillance equipment.

"We are working on voice-activated deterrents on the cameras too," Mr Walker said.

"If the control sees anybody doing something wrong they can warn the person via a microphone attached to the camera.

"We are going to pilot that in Penhill in a couple of months.

"We have got the equipment in, but we are waiting for some additional information from the manufacturers.

"If it works we could roll it out for little or no expense for all our systems."

PC Billy O'Sullivan, beat manager for the Parks and Walcot, said that the two-month mobile camera trial had made a real impact in Welcombe Avenue and said expansion in the technology would be welcomed by police.

He said: "It has been fantastic in this area. CCTV evidence is the best type of evidence on most occasions.

"For residents, it will assist them in terms of reducing the fear of crime and it will give them a bit more confidence as it makes streets safer.

"We are delighted this technology is being used. We have got very strong links with Waterside and they have been very helpful in providing us with evidence to secure convictions."

Coun David Renard, Swindon Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We are very committed to making sure that people who live in Welcombe Avenue don't have to put up with the thuggery and vandalism that is going on.

"The great thing about this mobile camera for me is that the troublemakers don't know when they are being watched as we can follow them around."