Twenty-six new high-definition CCTV cameras have been installed in the Vale, with 20 rolled out across Abingdon and six in Wantage town centre.
The digital cameras directly replace the outdated analogue CCTV system to provide CCTV operators with much better picture clarity to help support public safety and assist emergency services.
The cameras and new data transmission circuits, costing over £150,000, have been funded by Vale of White Horse District Council. The council jointly operates the Abingdon-based CCTV control room with South Oxfordshire District Council to oversee town centre schemes across both districts.
The new cameras are also more energy efficient than the existing analogue ones, playing a part in helping the council reduce its carbon emissions.
The final stage of this upgrade project is to reinstate a CCTV camera on Wallingford Street in Wantage, and work on this is currently underway.
The council’s CCTV service provides an important role in helping the police to keep people safe and detect crime in our town centres. In 2022/23, CCTV operators monitored over 1,000 incidents in Abingdon and Wantage and supported the police in making 80 arrests.
Cllr Helen Pighills, Cabinet Member for Community Health and Wellbeing at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities. This investment in our CCTV network will ensure operators, local police and emergency services have a clearer picture of what’s happening in Abingdon and Wantage, helping them to respond to and investigate local crime.” For more information about CCTV schemes that Vale of White Horse District Council runs please visit https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/vale-of-white-horse-district-council/community-help-and-safety/cctv/
