Sandwell Council invests in major upgrade of cameras in bid to better tackle crime and anti-social behaviour
Thirty outdated CCTV camera in West Bromwich town centre have been replaced with new high definition and wireless upgrades, as part of a wider effort by Sandwell Council to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and improve how safe people feel.
Cllr Suzanne Hartwell in the CCTV control room, photo courtesy of Sandwell Council
The new cameras are more reliable than those they replace, and will provide sharper images and wider coverage across key crime and ASB hotspots. This will help in identifying offenders, which in turn supports police investigations and deters criminal behaviour.
What’s more, the upgraded wireless network will reduce costs of running the system, with footage sent securely to Sandwell Council’s CCTV control room.
The upgrade has been carried out in line with the council’s Community Safety Strategy 2022–26, which prioritises tackling crime and ASB. It’s also a response to the Sandwell Residents’ Survey, which found that some residents feel unsafe in West Bromwich town centre during the day, while a higher proportion feel unsafe there at night.
The council has already seen success with this kind of initiative. At the beginning of 2024, it replaced or upgraded 26 CCTV cameras in nearby Wednesbury as part of a range of new community safety measures. The result has been a significant increase in reports of criminal activity and in arrests made, according to the council’s own report published in October this year.
Cllr Suzanne Hartwell, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community at Sandwell Council, says: ‘We’ve listened to what residents are telling us: people want to feel safe in West Bromwich. These new high-definition cameras will help catch offenders, deter anti-social behaviour and give the community greater confidence that their safety is our top priority.
‘A similar project in Wednesbury is already delivering strong results with significant reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour across the town centre.’
In related news:
Virgin Media fined £23.8m for disconnecting vulnerable customers
Award wins for sustainable electronics and automated vehicles
Leave a Reply