Borough’s CCTV network tackles crime and saves lives

 Det Con Flora Emeney emailed the team saying “We just wanted to drop you a line to update you on the outcome of our operation and say thank you to the team at Wandsworth.

“We successfully arrested two males on Monday night at the scene of a burglary. They have been charged and remanded with conspiracy to commit burglary, relating to at least six offences over the past three months.

“Thanks so much for your assistance with downloading all the historic CCTV footage, and for being so accommodating to us every night! It’s much appreciated.”

The council’s extensive CCTV network is pivotal in helping tackle crime and keeping residents and businesses safe. The council operates 1,200 cameras - more than virtually every other borough in London. They are monitored 24/7 and are key in the fight against crime.

Their presence, the extensive coverage they offer and the high-quality digital footage they produce are just part of the reason why Wandsworth has long held the title of inner London’s safest borough. 

Over the past few weeks the cameras have helped police investigate the following incidents:

• On April 16 at Tooting Broadway the cameras were able to direct police to a man observed kicking over bikes, shoving bystanders and then kicking a passer-by. Thanks to the cameras he was arrested.
• On April 18 a violent shoplifter was arrested in Clapham Junction with the cameras able to direct police to his location.
• On April 21, acting on reports of a shoplifter fleeing the scene in Roehampton Lane, a camera operator was able to capture video evidence of the suspect running away and changing his clothing before escaping. Based on the footage he was identified and subsequently arrested.
• On the same evening the cameras assisted in the arrest of a woman in Earlsfield for attacking a male with a metal pole.
• The next night, April 22, police asked the CCTV operators for help tracking down a drunk driver – who was successfully located on camera and arrested.
• On April 24, the cameras captured footage of a moped rider involved in a hit and run incident with a pedestrian close to King George’s Park.
• And on April 25, CCTV captured crucial evidence in the case of two males who snatched mobile phones from two women in Clapham Junction.

The cameras are a crucial part of the Council’s mission to keep Wandsworth safe. They are, though, one piece of the wider work the Council does. This includes the proactive and holistic approach to prevent the causes of crime by the Community Safety Team, doubling of investment to prevent violence against women and girls, and partnership working with the police.   

It’s not just in helping to solve crimes that the cameras are showing their worth. They are also proving valuable in helping direct police and other blue light emergency services to locations where people seem determined to harm themselves or take their own lives.

• On April 14 Police contacted the CCTV control room after receiving a call from a man threatening to jump off a Thames bridge. The cameras were able to check all the borough’s river bridges and direct police to Wandsworth Bridge where the male was starting to climb over the parapet wall when officers arrived and were able to save him. 
• On April 17 in Tooting Broadway the cameras were able to direct police to a woman who was threatening to jump in front of passing traffic. Officers prevented this and remained with her until an ambulance arrived.
• On April 24 police were dispatched to Putney Embankment after a woman was spotted on camera behaving erratically and holding a broken bottle to her neck. The officers were able to stop her harming herself.  

Council leader Simon Hogg said: "The borough's camera network plays a vital role in keeping our residents and businesses safe. 

“It is crucial in helping the police tackle crime and identify those who have committed serious offences. They also often help the police nip problems in the bud - before they develop into something more serious.

"And while the footage is often pivotal in securing convictions against those who commit crimes, the cameras are often used to assist in many other types of emergency. In recent weeks they have picked up several life-threatening incidents and ensured the swift dispatch of the emergency services. 

“In many of these incidents, the rapid response of the emergency services has been achieved as a result of the alertness of our camera operators.”

The cameras are monitored in the council's emergency control room, which is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As well as monitoring the cameras, staff in the control room are also able to respond to any out of hours emergency likes fires, floods and road traffic accidents.

Of the 1,200 council funded cameras across the borough around 800 are positioned on local housing estates.