News / CCTV network not fit for purpose
LERWICK’s CCTV system is no longer considered to be fit for purpose and needs to be replaced as it cannot be upgraded or repaired, Shetland News has learned.
The 14-camera network, which was installed in the heart of the town in 2010, has broken down on a regular basis and has been providing police officers with poor image quality.
A report, which will be discussed in private at Monday’s meeting of Shetland Islands Council’s policy and resources committee, confirms what many local people have been saying for years.
The report says that the network could possibly be kept going for a few more years, but this would be very expensive and would result in “long periods of down time for all or significant parts of the system”.
In any case, a complete replacement of the CCTV system would become necessary sooner rather than later.
The £240,000 network only became operational in 2010 and has been plagued with technical issues ever since.
The SIC was unable to secure a contractor for the maintenance of the network after the previous contract came to an end in March 2016, leading to a survey being commissioned into recommendations for repair or replacement.
A business case is now due to be compiled by the local authority into the costs of a new system.
Speaking to Shetland News in February, chief inceptor Lindsay Tulloch said the “CCTV works and we have coverage of the town centre”.
But he said there was “no doubt that we’re looking to upgrade the CCTV and get better quality”, while he also suggested issues with maintenance.
When the CCTV cameras were introduced, it made Lerwick one of the ‘most watched’ towns in the country, with one camera for every 500 people.
A local campaign to have a CCTV network installed in Lerwick town centre as a deterrent to crime goes as far back 2003.
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