A PERSON who buried a gun in the sand and a hit and run driver were all apprehended thanks to CCTV helping keep Southend safe. 

More than 200 cameras across the city are helping track goings on across the area and bring criminals to justice. 

Southend Council has revealed the integral part the cameras has played as 41 new digital cameras are installed. 

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It follows a £2.2million upgrade in 2021. 

The Southend CCTV Control Room uses digital cameras to keep people safe. 

A seafront altercation in 2015 resulted in a gun being waved about and the CCTV team were monitoring the situation. 

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The person with the gun was also filmed burying it in the sand and this was all captured on CCTV.

The police responded a person was arrested. 

In February 2023 a child was injured after being hit by an e-scooter in Southend High Street.

The rider of the e-scooter fled but Southend CCTV operatives had been monitoring the scene and followed the perpetrator around town. 

The CCTV has also helped bring a hit and run driver and sex offender to justice. 

Barry Davis, surveillance operations manager, oversees the running of the CCTV Control Room, which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

He said: “Every day our CCTV footage is being used as evidence in criminal and civil court cases.

“We are currently averaging 60 evidential downloads a month and that’s just the cases that are going to court.

“We are here to help provide a safe environment.”

A huge factor in the CCTV Control Room’s success is being a part of the Townlink digital radio scheme, a partnership with Shopsafe that covers the whole of Southend.

The system enables the team to communicate and coordinate with a wide range of people and organisations to share intel.

Martin Terry, councillor responsible for public protection, added: “Our CCTV Control Room does a fantastic job to prevent crime and improve community safety.

“They don’t always get the recognition they deserve, because they operate behind the scenes, but they play a vital role in supporting the police and community safety colleagues."