New Newark CCTV hub to monitor crime ‘in real time’
Councillors say faster response times will help tackle anti-social behaviour
A new CCTV control room in Newark is now operating 24 hours a day - with councillors saying it will transform how quickly incidents are spotted and dealt with across the district.
Councillor Paul Taylor, portfolio holder for public protection and community relations, says the upgrade moves the area away from outdated systems and into real-time monitoring.
“What we've managed to do is have a brand new state-of-the-art CCTV control room to go with our new cameras," he said.
"It’s monitored in Newark and the officers will be monitoring it 24 hours a day and will be able to react far better than in the past… we’re actually going to be monitoring it in real time.”
He says new technology - including AI - will improve how incidents are identified, while closer links with police mean faster action on the ground.
"We’re going to have direct contact with the police… so that we can see something starting to happen and have people there very, very quickly," said Cllr Taylor.
"We can even forward video footage live to the police control room if needs be.”
Taylor says the aim is to intervene earlier, particularly in cases of anti-social behaviour, before situations escalate.
“If we see a group of young people who we know heading into town, we can make sure there’s someone in town before they get there.
"If you get a group gathering… it will be seen very, very quickly and we can react straight away.”
He says overall, the new system represents a major shift for the area.
“It’s a step change in policing of Newark and Sherwood using CCTV.”