Over £500,000 could be spent enhancing public space cameras in Dundee in a bid to improve community safety, if councillors approve an upgrade.
The proposed investment would be used to upgrade 54 of the city’s 87 cameras, which will be monitored in a new centralised centre at Police Scotland’s West Bell Street station.
Dundee City Council and Police Scotland have prioritised the cameras to be upgraded, based on the devices which were most used, in high risk areas and at the end of their useful life.
The community safety and public protection committee will hear that all of the new cameras will be internet protocol devices with video analytic capability.
Of Dundee’s 87 cameras 41 are used for traffic management and can be monitored at Dundee House by the council’s urban traffic control team. All of the cameras can be monitored 24/7 by police from West Bell Street.
The council funds the public space cameras while Police Scotland funds the West Bell Street property and 24/7 camera operator costs. This proposed system upgrade, which involve more use of wireless technology, is eligible for 40% ERDF Smart Cities funding, councillors will be told.
Committee convener Councillor Alan Ross said: “This is an important upgrade to these systems to enhance public safety across Dundee. The new centralised system at West Bell Street will monitor feeds 24 hours a day, seven days a week and I am impressed by the capabilities of the new cameras.
“The cameras chosen for the upgrade are of the highest priority and the council worked closely with Police Scotland to identify them as part of our efforts to make the city a safer place for everyone.”
The committee meets on Monday June 3.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
