CCTV monitoring in the Wycombe district looks set to move more than 35 miles away to Milton Keynes following years of uncertainty.
Plans to move the Wycombe-based surveillance teams were mooted years ago, with locations like Slough and Aylesbury considered for a new base from where officers could monitor crime - but it now looks set to move to the north of the county.
Cllr Graham Peart, cabinet member for community, said the plan has been “delayed and delayed and delayed” but an agreement has finally been made with Thames Valley Police.
While waiting on a “few more details” from the force, Cllr Peart said a paper revealing more specific details about the future of the CCTV monitoring is expected to go before Wycombe District Council in September or October for councillors’ approval.
Fears were raised in 2016 that the CCTV surveillance could move as far away as Birmingham, with Cllr Brian Pearce, who represents Booker and Cressex, warning against the district’s cameras being watched by people who have never visited the area.
He also feared moving CCTV monitoring outside the district could hamper the fight against serious crime and terrorism.
Thames Valley Police initially launched a force-wide review on CCTV in 2014, which found that it “provides a significant benefit in fighting crime and supporting community safety”.
What do you think of the plan to move CCTV monitoring? Email bfpletters@london.newsquest.co.uk.
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