Police in Exeter are looking to drive down crime in the city through a new scheme giving them access to the council’s CCTV network for the first time.
Exeter City Council runs a live CCTV feed covering the city that is staffed 24/7 by trained and licensed operators. Any incident details are relayed to the local Police as required, but the new move will give them direct access from April 8.
Radio operatives in Devon and Cornwall Police’s Middlemoor headquarters will have images made directly available to them. The move allows incidents to be seen in real-time and means messages can be relayed to officers on the ground to create a more efficient crime-fighting tool.
Inspector Andrew Webber, head of neighbourhood policing, told the Exeter Express and Echo the new scheme will have a “big impact” on local policing in the city. He predicts criminals will be tracked and arrested much faster for incidents such as assaults and anti-social behaviour.
Webber said: “It would make life so much easier. Currently we rely on the council to tell us what is happening. We made the decision to bring this in to make the whole policing operation slicker. It is a real step forward.
“This CCTV link-up will help drive down on crime and make life more difficult for criminals themselves. It is an excellent example of true community partnership in operation with the focus of making life better in our communities.”
