Royal Borough CCTV the best in the country

In an award ceremony on Tuesday 14 June, the Royal Borough will be recognised by the national CCTV Users' Group with the prestigious title of CCTV Operator Team of the Year 2011.

The borough emerged top of 350 local authorities - an accolade that recognises the skill and performance of the team and its contribution to community safety.

The Council's CCTV system was set up in 1996 with only 65 cameras. It now boasts 271 cameras with 24-hour seven-days-a week monitoring from a dedicated control room. Coverage is provided not only for the Royal Borough itself but also for Bracknell Forest Council and more recently West Berkshire Council.

In 2010/11, 4,605 incidents were dealt with by the control room and 802 arrests were made as a result of CCTV. In April this year, three arrests were made in relation to a Crimewatch request for people wanted elsewhere in the country.

Over the past 18 months, the CCTV system has been upgraded including the modernisation of the associated Community Radio system.

Cllr Phill Bicknell, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Environment, said: "This is good news and our congratulations go to the team for their professionalism and skill.

"CCTV is a vital part of the borough's drive to help protect the safety of our communities and the people who live and work in them. It enables us to monitor incidents, keep an eye out for missing children and adults, identify perpetrators of crime and anti-social behaviour and keep the borough and the other areas we cover safer for all.

"Time and time again we reap the benefits of such a robust system which is well managed and operated by a team of dedicated professionals. The team is reliable, always there and on the ball. They are real unsung heroes!"

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