South Kesteven District Council is upgrading its analogue camera network to full-fibre coverage of Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping town centres.
As part of the project the CCTV control room is moving to Grantham Police Station, paving the way for improved partnership working.
Control room equipment has been upgraded to include a new management platform, new work stations and a video wall.
The modern facilities also provide a faster timeline for police to review CCTV footage and a reduction in operating costs.
In the last year SKDC’s CCTV network has been involved in 5,988 incidents across the district and assisted the police with 398 arrests.
It has covered incidents ranging from anti-social behaviour, assault, criminal damage, robbery, theft and vehicle cri
me to missing persons and stray dogs. Operators also handle out-of-hours emergency phone calls for council assistance, as well as the Pubwatch and Shopwatch schemes.
The improved CCTV cameras will capture clearer footage and images to help identify, apprehend and prosecute offenders.
The Leader of SKDC, Cllr Ashley Baxter, said: “CCTV has a key role to play in making residents and businesses feel safer.
“The much-improved images from our upgraded cameras will provide clearer images and make it easier to spot criminal behaviour and identify offenders.
“These enhancements to an already successful operation mean our team will be able to help prevent more crime and improve incident response times.”
Inspector Mark Hillson from the local Neighbourhood policing Team said: “My team works really closely with the CCTV service at SKDC and they play a huge part in tracking suspect’s movements, identifying criminals, and helping us to understand more about an incident through the footage they have captured.
“The move to Grantham Police Station will enhance the partnership working arrangements between Lincolnshire Police and SKDC, providing useful information which assists in adding to police intelligence. It is part of a larger project to upgrade the CCTV network across South Kesteven.”
The project also includes free public wifi hubs aligned to CCTV camera locations Grantham, Stamford and Market Deeping providing high quality broadband connectivity for businesses and visitors.
Sara Munton, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire; Ashley Baxter, Leader of South Kesteven District Council; Superintendent Phil Baker, Lincolnshire Police Western Area Commander