Contract awarded for Chichester CCTV maintenance - and 3 new cameras added

The decision was made during a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday (December 5).

Previously, the job of maintenance fell to Sussex Police but the force’s contract with Chromavision is due to expire in March and the council has been told that it will need to take it over.

The meeting was told that there was no time to look for another company to do the work as the police had left it rather late to tell the council about the change.

Not awarding the contract to Chromavision could lead to there being no CCTV coverage in the area – something the authority could not risk.

Tracie Bangert, cabinet member for communities and wellbeing, said: “Although CCTV is a discretionary service, it is integral to public safety and reducing the fear of crime and acts of criminality.

“If we had no CCTV service, we put our reputation [at risk] and Chichester becoming a magnet for petty criminals and organised crime groups.”

There are currently 65 CCTV cameras in the Chichester area – 25 on street and 40 in council-owned car parks.

In October, the cabinet agreed to cut that number to 27 – three of which would be mobile – while upgrading to a wireless system.

Most of the cameras being cut cover car parks, which were found to be low-value when it came to gathering evidence of crimes.

Three new cameras will be placed in hotspot areas on College Lane, Canal Basin and the Fishbourne Underpass.