Newark and Sherwood District Council approves comprehensive CCTV network plans for district

The district will be taking a big step forward in the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour after major plans to improve CCTV were approved.

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Cabinet met to discuss recommendations set out following an annual review into the district’s CCTV network, which plays a vital role in providing evidence following reported incidents, and helping to identify and deter offenders.

As part of the approved plans, a comprehensive CCTV camera upgrade scheme will take place to improve the quality, quantity and reliability of the network.

Ageing cameras will be replaced with newer ones to improve picture quality and locations will be evaluated to ensure sight lines are maintained and that cameras are being used effectively.

A document produced as part of the CCTV report showed that at least 29 of the existing network’s 74 cameras were more than 20 years old.

Of which, the 12 oldest camera were installed in 1999, and are scheduled to be replaced in the coming year 2024-2025.

A further 10 cameras will be replaced each year under a flexible schedule of repairs, which can be adapted when needed.

Alongside the replacement scheme, a number of additional new cameras will also be added to the existing network in January.

Five will be added in Southwell and one at Newark Castle Station, joining three others installed in Newark in the autumn.

Perhaps most notably, it is recommended that the the district council take full ownership of all the cameras in its network, and propose moving the control room back into Newark.

The details of such a move are currently being examined in further detail, however, it is believed that there are clear benefits to the plan, in terms of the proactive detection and prevention of crime, making use of local knowledge.

Paul Taylor, the council’s portfolio holder for public protection and community relations, said: “Instead of having this partnership where cameras are being monitored for three different areas, we will have our own staff monitoring the cameras in real-time.

“Monitoring them in real-time is a massive benefit to public safety — it means we could work more closely with the police, so that officers could pop into the control room to see things as they are happening.

“One of the things I’m often told is ‘we don’t need more eyes in the sky, we need more Bobbies on the beat’.

“There has been a policing review and the indications are that we will be getting extra police officers for Newark, but we also need to give them the equipment that works for them

“This is the first step in starting to bring things back into Newark, rather than them being taken away.”

Councillors praised the plans, which they said would bring a sense of security to residents.

Lee Brazier said: “I am pleased to see these improvements, as some of the cameras are almost as old as me.

“I have been previously quoted as saying you wouldn’t be able to see a Pigeon two metres in front of the camera.

“I wish that was an exaggeration, but the quality of some of these cameras are quite poor.

“This is not a political matter, it is a public protection and safety matter.

“This is what is best for our people, our businesses, and our young people in our communities.”

The recommendations were approved by Cabinet members unanimously.