CCTV Control Room Staffing
To receive a report of the Head of Public Protection and Enforcement addressing the concerns raised by the Committee at its last meeting – report to follow.
Minutes:
Further to the meeting held on 19 September 2013, the Chairman commenced the debate by suggesting that CCTV was one of the Councils most important assets; however it was not being fully optimised. There were concerns regarding staffing difficulties, therefore questioning the ability to deal with a major incident and provide coverage during sickness and holidays.
The Community Safety Operations Manager circulated an example of the staffing rota and informed the Committee that there were 10 Members of staff; four, two man teams and two ‘floaters’ to cover busy periods, holidays and sickness. There was a minimum of two members of staff on duty, however, Members noted that there was only one member of staff on duty during breaks and lunch breaks. The rota was implemented following a full consultation exercise and vote on the preferred option. The preferred option was suggested by a member of staff.
Members agreed that cutting the staffing budget may be false economy if it resulted in the cameras not being manned properly. Members also agreed that the Council had a duty of care towards the staff as they worked under pressure and may suffer trauma and stress as a result of witnessing some incidents.
It was unclear how many CCTV cameras were in operation within the borough, Members agreed that that the exact number would be reported back to the Committee.
Following consideration of the evidence received, Members were of the opinion that 10 members of staff was the bare minimum and that the structure did not allow for major incidents, holidays or sickness, it was therefore agreed that Councillor Barratt would meet with the operators to ascertain their views on the suitability of the rota and staffing levels.
RESOLVED
1. That the officer be thanked for his attendance.
2. That Councillor A Barratt meets with the CCTV Operators and report his findings back to the Committee.
3. The exact number of CCTV cameras be reported back to the Committee.
4. That the Portfolio Holder give consideration to increasing the budget as there appeared to be no resilience within the system with regard to staffing.