A NEW partnership has been announced to which will see Cirencester's CCTV coverage go 24/7.

Cirencester Town Council have teamed up with Gloucestershire Constabulary to look after the town's CCTV.

Gloucestershire Constabulary will now be responsible for monitoring the cameras, whilst Cirencester Town Council will remain responsible for the maintenance and infrastructure of the cameras.

The 19 CCTV cameras situated around Cirencester were upgraded by the Town Council a few years ago for the primary purpose of community safety, as a deterrent to crime and disorder, and supporting the Police in their law enforcement role.

The new arrangement forms an important part of the Town Council’s medium term financial plan with estimated savings in excess of £25k, at the same time as being able to invest proactively in community safety.

The 24/7 live monitoring will provide immediate liaison with Police 999 call handlers and monitoring staff and will enhance the sharing of information within the constabulary, enabling officers to be provided with details in real time.

Lead Member for Community Services, cllr Mark Harris said: "I’m very pleased that we have moved to 24/7 coverage of CCTV in Cirencester. On a Town level we will all be safer and the Police will be able to respond much quicker.

"On a personal level my son Joe was mugged in town which spurred him in to local politics on a campaign to increase CCTV monitoring. The hard work of the Town Council and Police to get us to this point should be commended.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl said: "We have been able to work with a number of other councils to improve their systems. Cirencester is the latest link in the chain that will eventually provide better CCTV coverage across the whole of the county"

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Thompson added: “It’s fantastic that we can now provide CCTV coverage for Cirencester town centre on a 24/7 basis. CCTV is a proven system for supporting the police in preventing crime and making communities safer.

"We are pleased that we have been able to work so effectively with Cirencester Town Council on developing this partnership.

This latest development means that the Constabulary has successfully centralised the monitoring of CCTV systems from Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud and Cirencester at our Tri Service Emergency Control Centre at police headquarters at Waterwells.

"This means that we can monitor incidents in these locations as they unfold and ensure our resources respond effectively."