Consultation Survey: Future of CCTV in Eastleigh

Overview

Eastleigh Borough Council’s Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are no longer fit for purpose and the current costs of operation are no longer affordable.

The council currently has 51 public realm CCTV cameras in Eastleigh Town Centre and 4 cameras located in Hedge End. Overall reported crime in Eastleigh is lower than in comparable town centre locations locally and only 30-40 cases of anti-social behaviour (ASB) are identified per year. Very few Community Protection Notices are issued due to ASB offenders as a result of being identified by CCTV, and other areas of higher ASB do not have CCTV coverage.

It costs the council over £300,000 per year to run these CCTV cameras. The existing cameras have reached the end of their technical life and do not meet data protection regulations, so we must decommission them. We are considering whether to replace some or all of them with modern cameras. 

If we replace them, the Council will have to make savings on other services to pay for it.