Public access for town CCTV points

12:51pm Monday 17th December 2007

AS part of Redditch's fight to stop crime the town is to get three new public announcement points as well as a help point.

The announcement points will be fixed to CCTV cameras outside the town hall, opposite NEW College and on the corner of Unicorn Hill, and will allow members of the public to communicate directly with operators.

Section 106 funding, money from the development of The Venue on Hewell Road, will now go towards the scheme.

Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority (LPA) to enter into a legally-binding agreement or planning obligation with a land developer over a related issue.

Portfolio holder for community safety, Councillor Bill Hartnett, said: "This is a fantastic scheme and it should be up and running sometime after Christmas. I think it will help improve the quality of life for people in the town.

"If someone loses their child or if a member of the public sees a crime taking place they can tell operators and then the camera can swing around and focus on that particular area."

The announcement points are part of state-of-the-art CCTV equipment that is set to make Redditch one of the first areas in the country to make CCTV more interactive.

Editor's Choice