Somerset Council’s CCTV team have reported nearly 700 incidents across the county to police in the past three months – and it says upgrades to the service are under way in Wellington.
During that time, there have been nearly 400 footage requests from police to assist investigations.
In one case, one of the operators successfully guided police to an offender who had stolen a woman’s handbag.
In another, the team helped to prevent a serious incident, alerting police after a fire was spotted on camera under a climbing frame in a children’s play area in Bridgwater.
Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Lead Member for Communities, Housing and Culture said: “These figures underline how vital our CCTV operators are to community safety.
“Thanks to their hard work and dedication criminals are being apprehended, serious incidents are being prevented and vulnerable people supported.
“We are grateful for the continued support and funding we receive from our town, city and parish councils.
“Alongside, this we recognise the importance of having state-of-the-art technology and are rolling out upgrades across the service.”
A council spokesperson added: “The CCTV systems in Burnham-on-Sea and Street have recently been upgraded to high-definition cameras, and upgrades in Taunton, Wellington and Shepton Mallet are in progress.”
The figures in full over September-November:
- 690 incidents reported to police and emergency services.
- 391 police footage requests actioned by the CCTV team.
- 408 incidents proactively detected by CCTV operators.