FIFTY-TWO people were arrested and 27 vulnerable people located as a result of CCTV footage in Tameside last year, according to new figures.
But those numbers only represent a fraction of the incidents that Tameside Council’s CCTV network helps police with on a daily basis.
Indeed, in January this year, the network of over 300 cameras monitoring town centres, parks, public spaces and council buildings provided information to officers that led to 20 arrests and found seven people who were vulnerable and/or missing from home.
The borough’s most senior cop cites one situation where the cameras have helped capture a criminal.
GMP Tameside District Commander Chief Superintendent Chris Foster said: “A recent example of great work by the CCTV team is reporting a theft of a charity box from a restaurant, which no one had even noticed, and they directed officers to the suspect who had left the scene and was walking through the town centre.
“This is one of the many incidents that are reported to us by the team, and I can’t thank them enough for their attention to detail and assistance in preventing and fighting crime within our district, making it a safer place to live.”
The council says a weekly liaison has been introduced between the CCTV control room and the Community Safety Team to submit intelligence to police that would otherwise be lost – including information on drug activity, off-road bike locations, and individuals involved in serious organised crime.
Councillor Stephen Homer, Executive Member for Towns, Transport and Connectivity, explained: “While these figures are just a small snapshot of the daily work our CCTV control room team assist with, they really help to showcase the significant impact they’re having – working in close partnership with the police – in tackling crime and disorder and helping to keep our local communities safe.
“The recent audit of our CCTV operations also highlights the high standards of service delivery and management within the team and we’ll continue to be proactive in developing the service to ensure it continues to make a real difference to supporting our communities. Thank you to the officers involved for their dedicated work.”