CCTV hub gets £100,000 funding boost

The hub based in King George’s Hall, Blackburn will cover nearly 250 cameras in Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Preston.

It has been centralised to increase safety for residents and to make savings on CCTV spends for Council’s across East Lancashire councils.

It operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and has access to both CCTV images and shop and Pub Watch radios and police radios to provide a reactive and proactive response to incidents throughout the area.

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: “CCTV cameras are an invaluable aid to the police with their investigations and can also stop criminals from committing offences and breaking the law. It is vital that our communities have the best equipment available to them and this hub is a state-of-the-art operation.

“I am pleased that Lancashire Constabulary contributed to this, including £100,000 from my office. Helping to protect local residents and businesses with improved monitoring and by making it quicker and easier for police to access images is vital.”

Operators can record live incidents and pinpoint officers to the exact location of crimes as they happen. Footage can also be shared to larger police stations across the county. The hub will monitor 240 cameras in total.

Police in East Lancashire will be able to monitor people offending in different areas more closely and there will also be a direct link to the communications room at Lancashire police.

Blackburn with Darwen Council applied to the Home Office for funding under their Tackling Organised Criminal Gangs programme. The grant was topped up with contributions from the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and the Police Innovation Fund.

The Hub has been operational since February and staff were re-deployed from the former Burnley, Preston and Blackburn CCTV control rooms.

Coun. Arshid Mahmood, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Prevention Services, said: “This is a great centralised hub and I am delighted that we have been able to work together to provide such a valuable service on behalf of our residents.

“CCTV is a fantastic way to deter, catch and convict criminals and we now have a state-of-the-art control room that covers a large area and means we can all join up so much better and share all information we have in a fast and efficient way.”