Knowsley in funding bid for £32.7m CCTV scheme

Story link: Knowsley in funding bid for £32.7m CCTV scheme by Jan Harris

Knowsley Council has been invited to bid for Government funding to deploy hi-tech CCTV-equipped street lamps across the Knowsley area of Liverpool.

The £32.7m scheme would involve replacing around 14,000 lampposts with the new equipment. Most of the street lights in Knowsley, many of which have been in place for over 40 years, would be replaced with the new lights.

The CCTV cameras would incorporate an audio system which would allow CCTV operators in a central control room to talk to members of the public, and issue warnings if anti-social behaviour was taking place.

Under the proposals, the new street lights would be paid for and maintained by a private firm as part of a 25-year private finance initiative (PFI), with work on the scheme commencing in 2010.