In a £5m project, the west London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council is having new CCTV cameras installed.
White City Estate and Shepherds Bush Green are the first districts (pictured courtesy of North, works in Commonwealth Avenue) to have the cameras with IoT (Internet of Things) tech, to provide analytics to the council. The aim; to give the council info, for example for making decisions on rerouting traffic.
The multi-sensor cameras will be rolled out in a four-year contract. The installer North is developing a new Public Space CCTV network, replacing the analogue system that like others in local government nearing its end of life.
As part of a next phase of work, the borough will have new cameras installed at and around the stadiums of Premier League football clubs Chelsea and Fulham, and Championship club Queens Park Rangers.
Like other councils, H&F stresses its commitment to keeping residents safe, with a focus on women’s safety and street crime. H&F now has 1,869 cameras in public places, making it one of the largest networks of on-street CCTV.
See also the borough website from last month about the Hammersmith & Fulham Council Law Enforcement Team (LET) patrolling the partial closure order as set by the Met Police on Shepherds Bush Green. The council and Met Police are carrying out a three-month operation, Project W12, against drug-taking in that area, featured in the December 2018 print edition of Professional Security Magazine.
The wider project will allow for a stream of real-time data to reach the council via IoT sensors, covering air quality at popular locations, people management in parks to improve access, and at void properties (to combat crime and damp).
Tony Oliver, Technical Consultant Team Lead, at North said: “The investment H&F Council is making to enhance CCTV operations underlines its clear commitment to consistently improve the quality of the environment for people who live there. North is incredibly proud to partner with H&F teams to create state-of-the-art Public Space CCTV network will go a long way to improving safety and wellbeing in the region.
“Over recent years, North has significantly bolstered its portfolio of work with local authorities across the UK, demonstrating the power that smart solutions possess to provide data-backed insight on how people interact with towns and cities. This allows decision makers to make more informed choices that benefit communities, local economies and sustainability.”
And Councillor Rebecca Harvey, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety, said: “Hammersmith & Fulham is determined to deliver London’s most efficient, effective and forward-thinking CCTV system. It’s part of the proactive steps we’re taking to protect women and girls, reduce crime and make our streets safer for our residents, businesses and visitors.”
