Extra boost for CCTV across the City
Forty additional CCTV cameras are being added to the city’s popular Chesil Street car park to provide additional reassurance for users and help deter anti-social behaviour.
Winchester already has a network of 110 CCTV cameras across the city which are monitored from a local control room 24 hours a day. These additional cameras will bring the total to 150, and are a vital part of the city council’s wider work with partners to ensure a safe and welcoming city.
There is well-established partnership working between the city council’s neighbourhood services and community safety teams, Winchester Police and other organisations such as the BID, which is focused on reducing and preventing crime including issues relating to anti-social behaviour, business crime and the night-time economy.
This work is underpinned and supported by the CCTV cameras which can monitor and provide evidence from afar. Just recently, the council’s CCTV operatives were instrumental in the prevention of an attempted break-in on the High Street’s ‘Three’ store during the night.
Witnessing the attempted break-in via the security cameras, operatives called the police whose immediate response meant the burglary was intercepted.
Cllr Martin Tod, Leader of Winchester City Council said:
"Statistics tell us that our city centre is safe, but we can never be complacent. The City Council works really closely with the police and other partners to reduce crime and tackle anti-social behaviour, and our CCTV service forms an important part of that work. At a time when other councils are being forced to cut their CCTV service, we're investing in it.”
Winchester District Inspector Matt Kirby said:
“Our officers regularly patrol the Chesil Street car park area and additional CCTV cameras can only help us to deter crime and anti-social behaviour.
“We already work closely with Winchester City Council, as the use of the city’s CCTV cameras is invaluable in responding to crime as it happens, as well as providing important lines of enquiry in any subsequent investigation.”
Chesil Street Car Park is one of the Park & Walk car parks just on the edge of the city centre. Offering free parking on Sundays and overnight, it’s a popular choice for visitors to the city.