Scottish Government

Bid number (for EG use)

EGF 1/3/063

Lead bidder

North East CCTV Partnership.
Contact Inspector Duncan Rennie, Grampian Police, Tel 01224 826586, email, Duncan.Rennie.@grampian.pnn.police.uk

Brief description of the aims of the project

Centralised CCTV system within the North East of Scotland, managed by the 'Partnership' under sound governance, guaranteed financial sustainability, deployed to meet the strategic and operational requirements of all the partners.

Benefits are:

• Efficient management and effective operational response to community based problems.
• Positive co-ordinated contribution within a partnership framework to enhance community well being.
• Design static and deploy mobile systems by using an intelligence led process, thereby targeting priority areas.
• Increase outputs by using new technology to extend coverage and maximise time release by combining partnership resources.
• Free up resources by using systems as a tactical and operational tool to, detect and deter crime, assess and gather information to provide quality evidence for court proceedings.
• To promote efficiencies by creating a national pilot scheme.

Clear description of what the EGF money would be used to buy

To create a centralised monitoring facility and upgrade current systems from analogue to digital, thereby using new technology to improve on productive time. Introduction of mobile and portable units to improve deployment coverage, especially to communities where fixed networks are not financially viable.

Partners to the project likely to commit resources

The North East CCTV Partnership is to be formalised by a Minute of Agreement by the following partners:

• Aberdeen City Council, Town House, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1FY.
• Moray Council, Council Offices, High Street, Elgin, 1V30 1BX.
• Grampian Police, Police Headquarters, Queen Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1ZA.

Names of other organisations with whom the project has been discussed (to assist the introductions process)

Aberdeenshire Council, Woodhill House, Westburn Road, Aberdeen.

Members, through their Policy and Resources Committee, have decided not to join the partnership at this stage and will re-assess once the project is successfully implemented. Their participation would fully integrate CCTV across the region.

Approaches have also been made to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Aberdeen University. Their future involvement is still under consideration.

Established Radio Links with retailers and publicans already provides operational benefits though information gathering, assessing incidents, identification of offenders and evidence for court. This will continue with a desire to further expand the involvement of the Drinks Industry in tackling the issues of anti-social drink related behaviour.

Evidence that suggested approach has been deployed successfully elsewhere

CCTV is deployed in many locations within the UK. Visits to 9 locations throughout the country have taken place. The focus being on structure, funding, capital/revenue costs, tangible benefits and identified efficiencies. These visits concluded that there is good evidence of partnership working, targeting of priority areas, systems being used as an effective operational tool to manage and free up resources. Nationally there is no direct detailed quantifiable evidence of the benefits of financial or time release savings. This bid offers the opportunity to build a project that quantifies these for future additional reference.

Research commissioned by the Home Office and undertaken by Professor Gill, over a 3 year period at 14 separate systems, provides a good overview of the effectiveness of CCTV. Some of his concluding remarks indicate the way forward.

• Too often CCTV has been judged on its ability to reduce crime rates, and often this will not be the best way of judging it.
• CCTV is more than just a technical solution, it requires human intervention to work to maximum efficiency.
• It has the potential, if properly managed, along side other measures and in response to specific problems, to help reduce crime and boost the public's feeling of safety.

Proposals to develop this further are detailed under the following section entitled: why is EG funding required.

Are there any restrictions to potential for enlargement of the project (ie technology, number of partners etc)

None.

Benefits projected from the project

Narrative - see attached matrix - Appendix 'A'

Estimated financial projections

Total

2005/6

2006/7

2007/8

2008/9

Overall project cost

Capital expenditure
2 million

See Appendix B

Capital 2 million

Capital costs balance

Estimated projected benefits

See matrix

Is a pilot required - see guidance notes

As alluded to, quantifiable evidence is not available to support the operational benefits of the system. If this bid progressed to Stage 2 then mechanisms could be built in to achieve a 'snap shot' view of the effectiveness and efficiencies. However, the narrative below sets out the long term solution that will provide a structured and long term evaluation.

Additionally: why is EG funding required

The Home Office have commissioned and published their research into schemes within England. Recommendations by Professor Gill provides a framework to ensure new systems are more efficient.

To progress this further there is a need to introduce a pilot scheme over a 1 - 2 year period with built in tracking processes to quantify the real benefits of CCTV from the viewing stage, through to the justice processes and wider community support, where clear benefits will be derived. Professor Gill is very supportive of this approach and has verbally agreed to become involved. Such a view is also supported by practitioners, who if invited, will participate to develop a national strategy towards CCTV deployment.

It is recognised that this does not tightly fit the bid criteria and it is requested that consideration be given to a relaxation of the rules to meet this request. The alternative is to run a short term evaluation, during the stage 2, but this will produce lesser long term benefits and efficiencies.

It is also proposed that the Justice Department participate within the pilot programme ensuring all aspects of CCTV effectiveness are assessed and from that the real tangible benefits of CCTV will be known. Such an approach will provide evidence for a national CCTV strategy and also provide efficiencies in how funds are directed to such projects.

Does this project complementary in anyway to other EG work

No.

Is 'Stage 2 development funding' requested?

Funding to support the design of the pilot process is required. This may necessitate consultancy support from researchers (as detailed above) and analytical support.

Area of Efficiency

Aberdeen City

Moray Council

Grampian Police

Validation

Reduce vandalism costs to public buildings.

£250,000

£17,500

At this time quantifiable evidence to contribute a reduction to CCTV alone is not available. However, future savings made will be outwith the current public space systems. Portable systems along with other operational measures will be deployed on an intelligence led process. Evaluation will determine the time savings and effectiveness of CCTV.

Alarm monitoring for Aberdeen Council.

£50,000

To be quantified

Forecast based on current information.

Reduced Police time in vandalism investigation due to reduced incidence of crime.

1400 staff hours in Moray =£35,000

Based on before and after effects on vandalism but no method of attributing to CCTV directly. Evaluation process required to ascertain actual hours spent per incident and hours saved by CCTV deployment.

Reduced Police time in car crime investigation due to reduced incidence of crime.

680staff hours in Moray =£17,000

Based on before and after effects on car crime but no method of attributing to CCTV directly. Evaluation process required to ascertain actual hours spent per incident and hours saved by CCTV deployment.

Tactical resource deployment to improve staff management.

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Absorbed into working practices and no current measures to identify actual time saved. Evaluation process required to ascertain actual hours spent per incident and hours saved by CCTV deployment.

Centralisation of control rooms to a single site.

£175,000

Estimated reduction in staffing costs due to centralisation. Staff are likely be redeployed within the organisations into existing vacancies.

Network improvements and new technology.

£3000

Reduced use of fixed fibres and shared use of capacity. Conservative estimate based on 10% reduction.

Reduced time in incident searches of tapes by using digital technology.

500 staff hours for Aberdeen and Moray =£12,500

Non track able estimate based on experience. Tracking process can be developed in stage 2.

Improved guilty pleas reducing court time, police time and expense including legal aid.

Potential savings identified by pilot scheme

Potential savings identified by pilot scheme

Potential savings identified by pilot scheme

No method of evaluating actual costs at this stage. However, tracking process will demonstrate what savings can be made within the justice process.

Improved citizen reassurance by deploying CCTV under the terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 2003 - duty to advance community well being.

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Not possible to equate to actual costs or time savings at this stage, but evidence will be gathered, indicating the success of innovation and partnership within communities.

Assist in the delivery of Antisocial Behaviour Outcome Agreements, to improve partnership enforcement and efficiency.

Potential savings identified by pilot scheme

Potential savings identified by pilot scheme

Potential savings identified by pilot scheme

Evidence can be sourced at Edinburgh where deployment of CCTV is used to (a) gather evidence for, and enforce Antisocial Behaviour Orders, and (b) to tackle environmental issues such as dog fouling and fly tipping.

Potential for guaranteed income streams by monitoring alarms and other CCTV systems within the public and private sector. This will generate greater outputs with same inputs.

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Potential benefits identified by pilot scheme

Evidence demonstrating the type of income streams can be sourced from other CCTV systems. That said, quantifiable evidence is not at hand.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL SPEND

CAPITAL COST
£

Centralised monitoring facility

800,000

Upgrade current network from analogue to digital

552,000 (92 cameras at average cost of £6,000 per unit)

Increase outputs by using:

Fixed site cameras

Mobile unit

Portable units

180,000 (10 cameras at average cost of £18,000 per unit)

100,000 ( 1 van)

100,000 ( 5 units at average cost of £20,000 per item)

Strategic audit and specification development

48,000 (consultancy costs)

Project staff costs

200,000

Training

20,000

TOTAL

2.000,000