Stratford-on-Avon District Council has installed five new CCTV cameras in and around Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the Home Office Safer Streets Scheme. The scheme allows police forces and local authorities to invest in transformative crime prevention initiatives including additional CCTV, lighting and behaviour-based programmes.
The cameras are mobile, so they can be easily and rapidly deployed to key locations. The locations are chosen based on reports and concerns raised by residents around crime and anti-social behaviour. The cameras were initially deployed in five locations: The Waterside Service Area between Bridge Street, High Street and Sheep Street Waterside covering the busy area by the RSC Drayton Avenue near Holly Walk Hodgson Road Clopton Road
The five cameras directly feed into the CCTV service run by Stratford-on-Avon District Council. The CCTV monitoring service operates 24/7 and provides real-time assistance to police and officers when responding to a live incident. CCTV operators are in constant contact with the police and local partners so that response can be quick and effective, by directing police resources to live events and providing a visual understanding of what's happening on the ground. The CCTV service also provides high quality evidence to be used in judicial proceedings leading to convictions.
Councillor Natalie Gist, Portfolio Holder for Law & Governance, said: "Obtaining funding to purchase high quality, rapidly deployable CCTV cameras, has allowed the District Council and Warwickshire Police to prevent and reduce crime through proactive monitoring and early intervention of potential incidents. The CCTV service is invaluable in protecting residents and the addition of these cameras will hopefully make residents and businesses feel safer."
The District Council has previously benefited from Safer Streets Funding, using it to install cameras by Stratford-upon-Avon train station, the Recreation Ground and by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Since being installed in September of 2023, the CCTV cameras have already assisted partners to gather evidence in a number of incidents which has resulted in the arrest of individuals and criminal charges being brought. They have been used by operators proactively over 2,495 times.
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, whose office secured the funding from the Home Office, said: "This is a great example of how by working together in partnership we have been able to gain additional money from the Government to make a real difference on our streets. The enhanced coverage from the extended CCTV network is providing police with extra high-quality evidence to bring offenders to justice when incidents do occur, while providing greater reassurance to everyone who uses Stratford Town Centre.
"Aligned with the extra hotspot patrols being carried out in the town centre by Warwickshire Police as part of Operation Resolve, these investments are part of a package of measures to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in support of my vision to deliver a safer Warwickshire for all."
Councillor Dale Bridgewater, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Chair of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board, said: "It's good to see that we are tackling crime hotspots across Stratford town. The installation of new CCTV cameras will help deter criminal activity and provide crucial evidence when needed. This is a step toward addressing serious issues that affect our communities, like county lines drug trafficking, anti-social behaviour, and violence against women and girls. We must keep working together within our communities to create lasting change."
Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Warwickshire County Council and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire are all members of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board, a collection of partner agencies who work together to address crime and safety priorities in the county and keep people safe in Warwickshire. For more information, visit www.safeinwarwickshire.com.
