Skip to content

High-tech CCTV installed to improve car park safety

Holly RattleyWiltshire
BBC Swindon resident Bridget Hall with brown hair tied back in a ponytail, a large pendant necklace, a blue and white striped shirt and a camel-coloured cardigan standing in front of the entrance of Spring Gardens Multi Storey Car Park.BBC
Lifelong resident Bridget Hall said women are "constantly on guard"

Upgraded CCTV cameras in town centre car parks will make residents feel safer, according to a council.

The number of high-tech cameras - which have a two-way talk back feature - are set to double in council-owned car parks in Swindon, Wiltshire, in an attempt to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Bridget Hall, who has lived in the area since she was a toddler, said: "Truthfully, I hate Swindon town centre nowadays and I literally will only ever come in for a set appointment that I need to be here for."

Matt Hinton, cabinet member for community engagement, safety and services, said the devices installed so far had "already started changing habits" in the area.

More from Wiltshire

The number of cameras will increase from 64 to 139 across Fleming Way, Spring Gardens, Brunel West and Brunel North.

The devices are equipped with speaker technology, meaning council officers can communicate directly with individuals.

They also detect loitering and sound a message to let individuals know they are being monitored.

Swindon Borough Council A new CCTV camera at Brunel North car park in Swindon, located on a white ceiling with beige wall tiles. Swindon Borough Council
The new CCTV is already in place in the Fleming Way and Brunel North car parks

Hall said she avoided parking in the town centre.

"It's horrible but they almost need to just blitz the whole place and start again and yet it's got such potential...I'd love to still be proud of Swindon," she said.

Another resident told the BBC her car had previously been broken into in one of the town centre car parks.

"There are a lot of people who hang around especially in the multi-storey car parks so it would make my car feel safer," she said.

Swindon Borough Council Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for community engagement, safety and services, Matt Hinton and Mark Stratford, Swindon Borough Council's security and CCTV manager standing in Swindon's control room with multiple screens displaying live CCTV footage.Swindon Borough Council
Matt Hinton and security and CCTV manager Mark Stratford in the control room which oversees 1,400 cameras

The new CCTV is already in place in the Fleming Way and Brunel North car parks.

"It creates that feeling of safety, which is crucial to allowing people to enjoy the town centre and having the confidence to use it," Hinton said.

"We know from our control room where we've got 1,400 cameras and operatives looking at them 24 hours a day that these cameras have already started changing habits in the town centre car parks so we know they're working," he added.

Nick Gardiner, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "These upgrades give us much greater visibility across our car parks and enable officers to respond more proactively to incidents, helping ensure they remain safe, secure and welcoming places to park."

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

Similar stories
Related Internet Links