CCTV cameras installed
Published
Tuesday 21 May, 2024
Updated
Sunday 16 June, 2024
We have 17 new public space CCTV cameras to help keep people living, working and visiting Sittingbourne and Sheerness Town Centres safe.
11 pan, tilt and zoom cameras have been installed, five in Sittingbourne and one in Sheerness, which bolsters our existing network of cameras already being monitored 24/7 by our CCTV control room.
The cameras act as a visual deterrent against anti-social behaviour, gathers evidence which helps us catch and prosecute offenders, and allows the control room to radio in any incidents they witness to the police through Swale Link.
The CCTV control room works incredibly hard to monitor the borough’s cameras day and night and have had success helping the police stop, catch and prosecute people committing crimes or nuisance in our towns.
It is the communication between our officers and Kent Police that makes this network of cameras so effective, and why adding these additional resources will help keep people safe.
We also brought in six rapid deployment cameras, which are mobile and can be stationed where and when needed.
They are perfect for responding to emergencies or adding security to locations that start to see a spike in crime, allowing us to have an extra pair of eyes anywhere we need in these town centres.
We have also been working to improve the visibility of the high streets by trimming trees back and improving the lighting of public spaces, such as the play area in Beachfields.
To coincide with our increased monitoring, there has also been security improvements made to anti-social behaviour hotspots, such as the installation of shutters and fencing at the empty Sheerness library.
The council, through the Community Safety Partnership, worked with the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner to secure the funding needed for the campaign from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund.
The new cameras have been installed at:
- 1 West Lane, Sittingbourne
- 1 Holy Trinity Church (to be installed)
- 1 South Avenue, Sittingbourne
- 1 Shortlands Road, Sittingbourne
- 2 Tesco, Sheerness
- 2 Sittingbourne Retail Park
- 2 Albany Park
- 2 St Michaels Churchyard
- 1 Sheerness swimming pool
As well as the six rapid deployment cameras.
