Security boost for CCTV
Security is being boosted in key areas of Dudley borough with virtual ‘trip wires’ at sites monitored by CCTV.
The invisible wires powered by artificial intelligence are helping with the efficiency of the control room operators.
Currently, operators have to monitor more than 500 cameras across the borough. Now virtual ‘trip wires zones’ are being added to alert CCTV operators if people walk into them.
Last month (August) operators were able to catch two people in the act of stealing equipment from one of Dudley Council’s office sites, when the thieves activated one of the areas. Police were called, the pair were arrested and their vehicle seized.
The system uses no actual wires so causes no hazard but means priority areas are safer than ever before.
Councillor Laura Taylor-Childs, cabinet member for safer communities, said:
We are always investing in CCTV to make sure that this borough continues to be as safe as it can be. This added layer of security around some CCTV sites not only makes it easier for operators to monitor hundreds of cameras it means we can have a quicker response to any issues. This is a state-of-the-art system and there really is nowhere to hide for people who try to break the law.
Hundreds of cameras are in place across the borough monitoring town centres and other priority areas. There are more than 500 images being beamed into a dedicated control room which is staffed by trained and police vetted operators, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On top of that, the council has a You’ve Been Shamed initiative where CCTV footage of fly-tippers is added to the council’s website where people can anonymously ‘name and shame’ offenders.
For more information visit www.dudley.gov.uk/youve-been-shamed