The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Devon and Cornwall Alison Hernandez says she was ‘inundated’ with applications by councils in the region for grants towards public space CCTV cameras. She said that each one gave compelling reasons for the difference the equipment would make in their local areas.
She said: “Although we don’t have the funding to grant each one, I am pleased to confirm that additional funding has been reallocated to this important initiative. It has enabled my office to include more projects into the scheme which will now benefit 39 areas across the peninsula. CCTV is such an effective tool in helping prevent and detect crime as well as offering reassurance to residents and businesses. I look forward to hearing improvements it has made within communities.”
Background
A Cornwall Closed Circuit Television Management Group was formed in 2015 and came to comprise 13 town councils and Cornwall Fire, Rescue and Community Safety Service (CFR&CSS), part of Cornwall Council. Public space cameras were linked to the Cornwall Council Emergency Centre, and came under the fire service, at Tolvaddon. As featured in Professional Security Magazine in 2023, the Conservative-led council decided to decommission the ‘Live Monitoring Hub’ at Tolvaddon. This left the 13 councils – notably Penzance and Truro – to come up with their own replacement.
Hence a bid by Redruth Town Council with Truro City Council, Perranzabuloe Parish Council and Camborne Town Council. Redruth council has a CCTV monitoring control room in the town which also monitors CCTV cameras in the other three council areas. The scheme operates 52 hours active hours of monitoring a week of a total of 45 cameras, by two operators. They are in regular contact with other partners including Devon & Cornwall Police, Truro City Centre BID (business improvement district), Cornwall Council’s ASB (anti-social behaviour) Officer and Truro City Council staff.
The four areas have received combined funding of £40,000 to go towards equipment and monitors to expand monitoring into other areas and build a wider communication channel across Cornwall, the PCC’s office says. That CCTV scheme will also oversee events, and like other public space systems supporting searches for missing persons, identifying prolific offenders, monitor potential influx of visitors to key areas and help combat crime and ASB.
About the money
The PCC in September invited applications in September 2025 for a maximum allowance of £10,000 to go on CCTV equipment and associated infrastructure (not day-to-day monitoring, a major cost for local government). The PCC allocated £125,000 from a Strategic Interventions Fund for 2025/26. Due to so many applications, the PCC decided to more than double the amount.
Other places
Bradninch Town Council in mid-Devon has been awarded £2,500 to match-fund its reserves, towards install of one or two cameras at its recreation ground. In its application, the council said it’s a target for frequent vandalism, graffiti and fires, including a wooden community shelter that was burnt to the ground overnight. The council said: “This recreation ground is also a play park used by children of all ages. It is, therefore, considered of utmost importance to keep all users safe and the equipment in good order as far as possible. The new CCTV would benefit the whole community as the recreation ground would be a safer place for all to use. It is anticipated that it would even encourage an uplift in users due to the increased security.” Besides councils, grants have gone to Morrab Gardens, Penzance; Plymouth Community Homes; Christchurch, Paignton; and SWISCo, which provides services for Torbay Council.
Some politics
Cornwall Council turned Lib Dem at the May 2025 elections; Alison Hernandez recently announced she was becoming an independent rather than a Conservative.
Photo by Mark Rowe: public space camera near Truro Cathedral.
