Call for clearer statutory framework for CCTV
When residents talk to councillors about crime and antisocial behaviour, they want to know that action is being taken to keep their communities safe.
Public space closed-circuit television (CCTV) remains one of the most important tools councils have to help achieve that.
It can deter offending, support police investigations, provide valuable evidence, enable faster responses to incidents and reassure local communities. Research from the College of Policing found that areas with CCTV experienced around a 13 per cent reduction in crime compared with similar locations without it.
In Newark and Sherwood, the installation of high-definition cameras in antisocial behaviour (ASB) hotspots contributed to a 23 per cent year-on-year reduction in ASB incidents.
However, CCTV is not a silver bullet. The strongest results are achieved when it forms part of a wider community safety strategy that includes environmental design, neighbourhood patrols, active community engagement, and close partnership working with the police and other agencies.
Cameras alone cannot solve the complex causes of crime and antisocial behaviour. Councils also face increasing challenges in operating CCTV systems.
Cameras must be properly maintained and monitored, and regularly reviewed to remain effective. Footage must be stored and managed in line with legal and data protection requirements. Meanwhile, rapidly developing technologies, including artificial intelligence and facial recognition, present opportunities to improve public safety while also raising legitimate questions around privacy, transparency and public confidence.
All of this comes at a cost. Although CCTV is widely relied upon by police and other emergency services, it remains a non-statutory service funded by councils. Many authorities spend hundreds of thousands of pounds each year maintaining networks that play a vital role in protecting residents and supporting law enforcement.
At the same time, councils are being asked to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Public space CCTV currently sits within broader data protection legislation that was not designed specifically for modern surveillance technologies.
As systems become more sophisticated, councils need greater clarity around their responsibilities, the rights of the public and the appropriate boundaries for law enforcement use.
That is why the LGA is calling for a clearer statutory framework for public space CCTV and sustainable funding arrangements that recognise the important role council-operated systems play in community safety. Councils need the resources, legal certainty and flexibility to continue delivering this service effectively and responsibly.
The debate about CCTV is ultimately about balance. Residents expect action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, but they also expect surveillance to be lawful, proportionate and transparent. With the right safeguards, oversight and public accountability, we can achieve both.
CCTV is not the whole answer, but it remains one of local government’s most effective tools for helping keep communities safe. Government should recognise that reality and provide councils with the support they need to use it well.
- Find out more about the LGA’s work on safer communities.