Talking CCTV to be rolled-out to 20 communities

Story link: Talking CCTV to be rolled-out to 20 communities by Jan Harris

A new ‘talking’ CCTV system, which was trialled in Middlesbrough earlier this year, is being rolled out a further 20 communities over the next few months.

The pilot scheme used enhanced CCTV cameras with speaker systems which enabled control room staff to speak to people on the street.

The system brought about a significant drop in anti-social behaviour, especially with littering offences where it achieved 100% success. It achieved around 70% success with stopping public order offences such as fighting.

Talking CCTV will be rolled out later this year to Darlington, Salford, Blackpool, Coventry, Northampton, Derby, Harlow, and in the London boroughs of Southwark and Barking and Dagenham.