CCTV & Townwatch Radio Scheme

The Town Council works in a partnership with North Warwickshire Borough Council for the provision and operation of the town centre CCTV system.

The cameras, ducting and cabling were provided by, and are owned and maintained by the Town Council, while the monitoring and recording equipment is owned and operated by the Borough Council.

The Town Council are responsible for reimbursing the Borough Council for the direct staffing costs of the CCTV monitoring team.

The Town Council were fortunate to secure funding of £59,056 via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to cover 50% of these staffing costs for the financial years 2023/24 & 2024/25.

We want to thank you for your help in raising awareness of our CCTV scheme throughout the community and for providing valuable feedback via the CCTV Survey so the council were able to assess the communities value and importance placed on the service we provide.

You can view the interim summary of the CCTV Survey Results that were provided to the Town Council ahead of the budget setting here: INTERIM RESULTS FROM CCTV SURVEY

You can view the final summary of the CCTV Survey Results here: CCTV Survey Results Final - Redacted offensive language & postcode word cloud

In line with the overwhelmingly positive response to maintaining our existing CCTV service standards, we have increased our budget via the precept to meet the additional costs faced for 2025/26 due to the loss of the UKSPF funding.

The Town Council will continue to seek further contributions from alternative funding sources such as North Warwickshire Borough Council and the extended UKSPF scheme via Warwickshire County Council to further alleviate financial pressure.

Townwatch Radio Subsidy Scheme

Atherstone’s Town Watch Radio scheme contributes to crime prevention, detection, and diversion in the town. It provides a crucial link between businesses and other venues, the Council’s CCTV active monitoring control room, the local policing team and the public.

By alerting and responding to venues about the arrival of offenders in the town it provides a “short cut route ” for preventing crime before it occurs and fast-tracking police responses when incidents are taking place,

Key findings from the National Crime Survey and Association of Convenience Stores[1] shows that retail crime offences recorded by police have risen by 25% in year to June 2023; 63% of retail theft is committed by repeat offenders many motivated by addiction or poverty and 87% of staff working in convenience stores experience verbal abuse; and only 10% of crime is reported to police. Last year the cost of crime to convenience retailers was estimated to be £100 million [average £1066 per store] with millions spent by them on crime prevention.

Here in Atherstone retail crime rose from 8 to 18 / 1000 [Jan 21 to June 23] about four times the county average[2].

Thefts from persons have also risen in Atherstone from 1.2 to 1.8 / 1000 over the same period.

Between April and August 2023 183 / 1101 incidents [17%] recorded by the CCTV control room involved alerts and responses triggered by the Townwatch Radio.

Atherstone Town Council have supported Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative and the retailers in the town by subsidising the Townwatch Radio Scheme since 2012.

The turnover of businesses in the town centre along with cost-of-living pressures has meant a decline in the number of businesses signed up to the Townwatch radio scheme. The full potential of the Townwatch Radio / DISC scheme along with the CCTV active monitoring system in crime prevention and detection has not yet been realised.

We believe that our continued support of providing a subsidised price for radios, more active use and participation in the DISC online system and greater investment in supporting the business community will restore and extend participation in this scheme.

Funding of £4,232 has been secured from the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner to increase the subsidy for more venues alongside improving our communication and active engagement in the community to extend the reach of the existing scheme.

Case studies

These case study examples illustrate the kind of incidents which occur, who is affected and what times they tend to occur and the benefits of having a combined CCTV / Town Watch Radio system.

• CCTV monitoring staff spot a known shoplifter and warn the stores in the town using the town radio and continues to monitor the person until they leave town.
• CCTV monitoring staff observe a group of teens being abusive towards staff at the Co-op Long Street –and uses the radio to convey to the teens that they are being monitored and they leave the area.
• CCTV monitoring staff use the Townwatch radio to deter a known shoplifter who attempts theft at TOFS, because TOFS were notified they could stop the male and retrieve items before the male left the store.
• CCTV monitoring staff assist the Co-op using the Townwatch radio to deter a large group of females acting suspiciously in both stores.

We believe that an even more extensive and well supported town radio scheme will have a demonstrable impact on trends in shoplifting, personal theft, and antisocial or abusive behaviour.

This quote best illustrates its potential in terms of prevention:

‘I was incredibly impressed with the town watch radio scheme on Dickens night it kept us well informed. 

We were notified of two prolific shop lifters about to enter male and female. At which point I was able to walk towards them and when he saw I was on the radio he shouted her, and both left. No stock was taken, I’m extremely grateful and feel safer knowing the help is there.’

[1] https://wrci.org.uk/index.html

[2] https://data.warwickshire.gov.uk/crime-and-community-safety/reports/#/view-report/77f07519768c4f4c994aecd9cc78bcfa/E05007458/G7