Better CCTV For Ipswich

Ipswich Borough Council turns to a CCTV service to tackle crime and provide a safer environment to residents and visitors alike.

01:23 24 October 2023

Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) Emergency Services Centre has successfully launched a CCTV service as part of its commitment to tackle crime and provide a safer environment to its residents and visitors. 

Councillor Neil MacDonald, leader of IBC, assessed the quality of the images captured by the cameras and noted that at 148 metres from the one installed on Princes Street, the images are above average "though if I was wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap, it would be difficult to identify me", he said. 

Currently, the ESC monitors a total of 446 cameras located in public spaces, including car parks, sports centres, parks, public buildings and sheltered housing schemes. According to the annual report covering April 2022 to March 2023, 3,648 incidents of anti-social behaviour were logged. Images captured by the cameras were also released to aid in police investigations. 

Ipswich police have recently sent a thank you note to one of ES's operators for her assistance. The note reads: ‘Amy was incredibly helpful, and without the help of the CCTV operator, we would not have been able to detain three individuals involved in a robbery’.

The operator followed up on a mobile phone robbery case and spotted one of the individuals attempting to discard the stolen phone moments before the police arrived on the scene. The footage captured by Amy has been instrumental in making the arrest.