A new centralised CCTV hub
Based in King Georges Hall, Blackburn, the hub covers nearly 250 cameras across East Lancashire in Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Preston.
The Commissioner visited the hub to look at how it was increasing safety for residents since becoming operational in February.
It operates 24/7 every day of the year and accesses both CCTV images alongside shop and Pub Watch radios and police radios, allowing both a proactive and reactive response to incidents across East Lancashire.
Footage from the hub can be shared to larger police stations across the county, with operators able to record live incidents and pinpoint officers to exact locations of crimes as they happen.
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: “It’s fantastic to see this state-of-the-art hub in action, working for the people of East Lancashire – CCTV cameras are an invaluable aid to the police, both aiding with investigations and also deterring criminals from committing offences.
“I’m pleased that my office contributed £100k towards the setting up of this hub as it’s vital that our communities have the best equipment available to them to protect residents and businesses and help build safe and confident communities – a key part of my Police and Crime Plan.
“Working in partnership is key to delivering the very best service for Lancashire and this type of innovative collaboration can be a model for future projects.”
Councillor Suleman Khonat, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Assistant Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Prevention Services, said:
“This is a great centralised hub and I am delighted that we have been able to work together to provide such a valuable service on behalf of our residents.
“CCTV is a fantastic way to deter, catch and convict criminals and we now have a state-of-the-art control room that covers a large area and means we can all join up so much better and share all information we have in a fast and efficient way.”
