A state-of-the art digital CCTV system is set to be rolled out across Faversham next year in a bid to crack down on crime levels.

Swale Borough Council’s cabinet has rubber-stamped a £250,000 investment to upgrade its 52-camera network and create a new control room to monitor the live footage.

It is hoped the new digital technology will provide police with better images of suspects to secure convictions.

The current cameras often produce pictures not clear enough to be used in prosecutions.

Swale’s CCTV system is currently operated by the Medway Commercial Group as part of a CCTV partnership with councils in Medway, Maidstone and Gravesham.

But under the new model, the system will be taken back in-house, with council staff monitoring the cameras from a new control room at Bourne Place multi-storey car park in Sittingbourne.

“Our current cameras are coming to the end of their lifespan and they don’t often provide clear enough images to help the police with prosecutions..." - Cllr Richard Palmer

The CCTV will be supplied and maintained by DSSL Group, which won the tender for the five-year contract.

Its bid was deemed the “most economically advantageous” of the nine submitted.

Cllr Richard Palmer, cabinet member for community at the council, said: “We want to bring the safety of residents and visitors across the borough back into our control, so the upgrade of 52 new cameras and a Swale-based control room will be a key investment.

“Our current cameras are coming to the end of their lifespan and they don’t often provide clear enough images to help the police with prosecutions.

“The new CCTV system will help us prevent and detect crime, provide quality evidence to the police for prosecutions and manage emergencies and major incidents.

“Not only will the new system improve safety across the borough, but will also provide cost savings that we can allocate to other safety initiatives.”

Out of the 52 cameras set to be upgraded across Swale, 13 are in the Faversham area.

The new system and control room will start operating when the current contract ends in March.

Cameras will be monitored at peak times for crime and anti-social behaviour.

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