Preventing crime

CCTV is one of the most valuable tools we have to make Southwark safer. It's most effective when used as part of a coordinated approach to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour.

CCTV in Southwark aims to:

• support safety in the community
• prevent or detect crime and antisocial behaviour

See where our CCTV cameras are located. They can be found in:

• town centres
• high streets
• car parks
• council-owned buildings and housing estates

We also move mobile CCTV cameras to different locations when needed.

Not all CCTV cameras in Southwark are owned or operated by us. If they're owned by us they'll have the control room phone number on them. You can use this number if you want to alert us to suspicious activity.

CCTV is also owned and operated by:

• private businesses
• householders
• the police
• investigatory agencies
• Transport for London on red route roads

What is monitored

Our CCTV control room gathers around 2,000 pieces of evidence each month. Not all of it relates to crime and antisocial behaviour. Other activities we monitor include:

• public space monitoring
• detecting crime and antisocial behaviour
• locating missing people
• directing police, fire and ambulance services to incidents
• reporting environmental issues such as unsafe structures, damaged bus shelters and broken pavements
• catching fly-tippers and graffiti artists

Different regulations manage the use of CCTV to check traffic enforcement and parking. Footage from all CCTV systems on our housing estates are recorded.

Our cameras are monitored 24 hours a day. Our monitoring suite has direct communication with the police, allowing us to pass on incidents as they happen.

CCTV operators get briefings about crime in Southwark. This helps them to proactively patrol the locations they monitor.

If you want to request CCTV footage, apply under the Freedom of Information Act.