Scheme to be rolled out across the borough
One month since being launched, the borough's new CCTV system is proving to be a valuable tool in helping local police fight crime claim Hounslow Council.
Community safety CCTV operators have been helping police crack down on a range of crimes - from drug offences to anti-social behaviour.
One of the highlights saw a man arrested for possession of drugs at Neals Corner on Hounslow High Street. The operator directed officers to the scene and were able to capture the offender trying to discard the drugs.
Leader of the council, Cllr Peter Thompson, said: "We know people feel safer when there are cameras on the streets - which is why we made it one of our 10 promises to residents. But we aren't interested in just putting them up for the sake of it. We want them where they’re needed, and for those that are already in place to work better.
"That's why the police have been involved every step of the way - helping us site cameras and put systems in place that will help them do their job.
"These early successes are encouraging, and I'm confident there will be more to come as the scheme continues to be rolled out across the borough over the coming months."
Inspector Adrian Baxter, partnership inspector for Hounslow Police, said:
"These successes show how effective the council and police can be at protecting the public and helping to bring criminals to justice.
"The system is a massive help in identifying incidents, but that's only part of the picture. By having high quality images available to officers quickly we hope to see faster turnaround of suspects, saving time and resources and helping officers get back out on the streets."
Other successes over the first month include:
Operators assisting police by directing them to incidents before they became serious. This included one occasion where five youths were seen fighting and operators informed police who arrived quickly and were directed to the subjects involved.
In Chiswick operators helped police identify a car that failed to stop, which belonged to a suspected drugs dealer from outside the borough. This intelligence is extremely valuable for local officers who can now be alert to their activity.
Operators were able to help police when a man climbed onto a ledge of the Treaty Centre car park. They saw that he was holding a knife and guided police and other emergency services to the location. The CCTV operators were able to pass relevant information to the emergency services throughout the incident which resulted in the male being assisted off the ledge and given suitable medical treatment.
January 22, 2010