There are over 80 public space camera in the district. Our Closed Circuit Television System is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, by a team of full-time staff. Direct visual and audio links are maintained with the Police so that they can see an incident as it happens. All cameras can be remotely controlled to turn, tilt and zoom and all the pictures are digitally stored and kept as evidence. Only the Council and the Police are able to view the tapes, which are only ever released under the terms of the Code of Practice.
The installation of the Closed Circuit Television System has seen a significant reduction in crime and improved security, making Brentwood a safer environment for people to live, work, shop and visit.
Why have CCTV
CCTV is there to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, and to help with the investigation of offences and prosecute offenders.
The cameras are also used to help find people reported as missing and to track down children who get separated from their parent or carer while out in town.
Putting CCTV cameras up on your property
If you own your property, you can install CCTV (including recording and playback capabilities) to protect your property against intruders and trespassers. You should make sure your CCTV cannot be deemed an invasion of other people's privacy or lead to claims of harassment. The boundary of your garden is a good line to use as anything beyond that could be deemed intrusive.
If you don't own your property, such as if you're renting, you will need the owner's written permission to use CCTV.
Installing CCTV on your road
There must be good reason to put CCTV on your road, such as being used to deter or detect crime or persistent and serious Anti-Social Behaviour where the footage could be valuable in securing a criminal prosecution. We can't install CCTV to tackle issues such as parking offences, dog fouling or littering.