In the news: New CCTV installed at key community locations across the borough
As part of Basildon Council's Safe and Sound Estates Programme, Basildon Council has installed new CCTV cameras across targeted borough estates. This comes after £22,000 was secured in partnership with local community groups earlier this year.
The new cameras have been installed in key locations across Five Links and Lee Chapel North, helping communities feel safer.
The council's Safe and Sound Estates Programme is a 10-year project, including £40million worth of investment, to improve our estates across the borough through a number of transformative initiatives.
The first three estates as part of the programme are Five Links, Lee Chapel North and Felmores - and these are the three locations where new CCTV has been installed.
Elizabeth Way shops on the Five Links estate is a popular place for young people to visit on their way to and from school, and four brand-new and improved CCTV cameras have been installed. This installation was funded through Essex Violence & Vulnerability Unit - Listening Project.
The Violence and Vulnerability Unit commissioned the Listening Project last year to engage with young people and obtain their views on safety in their local areas, specifically focusing on gangs and knife crime. These cameras are transmitting back to the Basildon Centre for live and retrospective viewing.
Funded through the safe and sound project, Ballards Walk shops has a comprehensive set of six new cameras after data analysis suggested it would be of benefit to the area, and is the first time cameras have been installed in this location.
Councillor Andrew Schrader, Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal, said: "Part of our Safe and Sound Estates Programme is about helping residents to feel safer in the areas they live, and that's exactly what this initiative is all about.
"Ballards Walk shops had not previously had CCTV, so it's great for residents that we have invested in a comprehensive set of cameras to cover the location. I'm delighted that we've been able to make these projects happen through our Safe and Sound Programme, and they're just one in a long list of improvements that will really transform each area for our residents."
Councillor Andrew Baggott, Leader of Basildon Council and Cabinet Member for Public Order and Safer Communities, said: "Community safety is a top priority for me, we want our residents to feel as safe as possible in the communities they live in.
"The new CCTV is a fantastic improvement in the breadth of our coverage, that I hope makes residents feel safer when out and about. We can now access this footage from the Basildon Centre for live and retrospective viewing, enabling us to download footage for the police without delays."
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Published 20 June 2023