For example, rail operator First Capital Connect has seen a reduction in crime of almost 50% since taking over the operating franchise two years ago. The lower crime levels have been credited to a sophisticated video surveillance network.
The image quality which can be achieved with the latest digital technology is far superior to the clarity and definition available from the first analogue CCTV systems. Access to better quality images provides the police authorities with a more powerful resource in the fight against crime.
Digital images can be viewed instantly and searched by a range of criteria including colour, size, date and time. Recordings may be viewed and played back simultaneously, unlike analogue systems where the footage has to be searched backwards and forwards. A complete town centre CCTV system may be managed through a single computer screen, and images viewed from anywhere in the country.
High definition video footage is an essential requirement of a CCTV installation and, in addition to helping with crime prevention and detection, can also be used to manage traffic flow, for example.
In Liverpool, the bespoke City Watch CCTV installation (‘Mersey feat’, SMT, May 2006, pp30-34) tracks ‘live’ incidents with a specially created video wall. High quality evidential images and a fully-documented audit trail are supported by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Arrests attributable to this system are in the region of 30-35 per week. Every day, an average of 50 stolen cars are spotted in the ‘Capital of Merseyside’ by this system.
To maximise the effectiveness of CCTV in preventing and detecting crime, agencies such as the police and local Councils need to take a co-ordinated approach. By way of an example, the Enfield Public Safety Centre (EPSC) has brought together First Capital Connect, the Metropolitan Police Service, Transport for London and the British Transport Police. The Centre offers a combined CCTV control, traffic enforcement and alarm receiving base 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
The Centre has helped the police provide key evidence for trials and prosecutions leading to approximately 2,000 arrests. Further to this, the Association of Chief Police Officers believes the contribution of CCTV to the detection of crime is likely to equal that of DNA and fingerprints.
