CCTV nets 2,326 incidents (From South Wales Argus)

CCTV nets 2,326 incidents

10:00pm Monday 20th August 2012 in Gwent news By Chris Wood, Reporter

CCTV cameras installed by Caerphilly council have monitored and helped deal with a total of 2,326 incidents in the last year.

These include thefts, the supply of drugs and anti-social behaviour, with 985 DVDS of recorded evidence provided to help with police investigations.

The local authority has also received 1,649 requests from Gwent Police to monitor specific areas, with the cameras becoming a key tool in its fight against crime.

There are now over 150 in use 24-hours a day and the council announced that two more are to be installed- at Pantside and Gelligaer because of their success.

Each camera costs between £18,000 and £30,000 to install and are monitored constantly, with two people on duty for each shift.

These keep an eye on areas including business parks, leisure centres, town centres and residential areas- with thefts of lead from roofs and tools and equipment from work areas plus the supply of drugs examples of incidents reported to the police with arrests made in the last year.

David Poole

In making the area safe and said he hopes the new cameras will

There was also an incident last year where a woman was spotted unconscious behind a Blackwood pub in very cold weather. An ambulance was called after the CCTV camera picked her up and she then spent a few days in hospital recovering from hypothermia.

The council’s cabinet member for community and leisure services David Poole said the CCTV network plays a "vital role"

He said: 'In making the area safe and said he hopes the new cameras will "help increase levels of community reassurance".

Cameras also allow operators to warn people through a speaker system that their behaviour is being monitored- something that has helped diffuse potentially dangerous situations.

Help buttons have also bee installed in known trouble hotspots such as Blackwood bus station, which allow control room staff to zoom in and offer advice to anyone feeling at risk through an intercom system.