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To approve the entering into of a contract for
the installation of a new CCTV system at the Forum car park,
together with associated maintenance for a period of three years,
to the supplier identified and at the cost outlined in the exempt
appendix.
 

Reasons for the decision

The Forum car park has
experienced a prolonged period of vandalism, anti-social behaviour
and disturbances affecting both the car park and neighbouring
residential areas. A recent multi-agency meeting identified that
existing CCTV coverage in and around the site was inadequate, with
several cameras inoperable and key areas not monitored. As a
result, Police and Council wardens were unable to target patrols
effectively, and persistent offenders could not be reliably
identified. Evidence retrieval from the remaining CCTV system was
also time-consuming, often taking several hours to
compile.
 
The installation of a new CCTV
system is therefore necessary to strengthen community safety and
enable a more effective operational response. The upgraded system
will provide modern, high-quality coverage of the areas where
incidents most frequently occur and will significantly improve
officers’ ability to identify repeat offenders and accurately
determine the timing and nature of incidents within minutes. The
technology will also generate real-time alerts when groups gather
in known problem locations, allowing Police and warden patrols to
be deployed in a more targeted, intelligence-led manner.
 
The new system will provide a
combination of deterrent, proactive and reactive benefits:
deterring potential offenders through visible, modern CCTV;
enabling proactive early intervention through live alerts; and
improving reactive capabilities by providing rapid access to
evidential footage. Together, these improvements are expected to
substantially reduce ongoing incidents of vandalism and anti-social
behaviour and enhance safety for car park users and nearby
residents.
 

Alternative options considered

1. Increased Police and Warden Patrols
(Rejected):

While additional patrols were
considered, both Police and Council wardens reported that without
reliable CCTV coverage they were unable to target activity
effectively or identify persistent offenders. Patrol-only
approaches would not address the core issue of poor situational
awareness and would continue to rely on reactive responses rather
than prevention.
 
2. Repairing or Maintaining the Existing
CCTV System (Rejected):

The current system has multiple
inoperable cameras and does not provide adequate coverage of key
areas where incidents are occurring. Simply repairing or
maintaining the outdated equipment would not deliver the
technological capability needed to identify offenders quickly,
receive real-time alerts, or retrieve evidence
efficiently.
 
3. Installing Fewer Cameras or a
Reduced-Specification System (Rejected):

A scaled-down system was
assessed but would not provide sufficient visibility of the known
problem areas or the advanced functionality required for
intelligence-led patrols. This would limit both deterrence and
evidential value, resulting in only marginal improvement over the
current situation.
 
4. Maintaining the
Status Quo (Rejected):

Leaving the current arrangements unchanged would allow ongoing
vandalism and anti-social behaviour to continue, with no practical
means to identify perpetrators or reduce incidents. This option
would not address community safety concerns raised by residents,
Police, and partner agencies.