Redbridge (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Redbridge Council’s CCTV Team cracks down on violent crime, using cutting-edge surveillance to identify and apprehend offenders, keeping local communities safe.
Five people involved in a violent incident at JD Sports on Ilford High Road were recently arrested thanks to the prompt thinking and attentiveness of a CCTV officer.
This same gang was connected to earlier incidents, such as a previous incident at JD Sports and an attempted theft at a vape shop in Ilford Town Centre.
During the incident, a member of the CCTV Team overheard a distress call from JD Sports regarding a large group engaged in gang steaming, a type of shoplifting where a group of criminals enter a store, threaten staff, and steal high-value items.
Live monitoring revealed a staff member restraining one individual while the remaining four suspects were acting aggressively.
As the incident unfolded and escalated, the CCTV Team redirected cameras to cover the various escape routes. Live footage and descriptions of the suspects were provided to the Met Contact Centre (MetCC), which is responsible for receiving and managing emergency and non-emergency calls.
The group continued to kick the outside shutters and attack store employees while the CCTV Team kept the police informed while they deployed officers to the scene.
The police were able to apprehend all five suspects after they fled the scene, due to the CCTV Team’s real-time updates. Two of the suspects were tracked to the Spice Hut restaurant in Barkingside, one was arrested on Ilford High Road, and the other two were found on a local bus route.
Following the incident, the police attended the CCTV Centre to collect the footage.
Cllr Khayer Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, said:
“We want people to feel safe in our borough.
That’s why we’ve continued to invest in measures to make it a safer place, including our extensive CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera network.”
He added:
“I’m pleased that the work and swift response of our CCTV Team and local police officers recently led to the arrest of a group of violent individuals in one of our town centres.
We want residents and visitors to feel safe in our borough, and we will continue to work closely with our partners in the police to tackle those who commit crime and antisocial behaviour in our communities.”
Superintendent Clare McCarthy, Head of Neighbourhood Policing in Redbridge, said:
“The joint response to this incident is an excellent example of our great community safety partnership with the local council.
The Council’s CCTV Team played a vital role in providing real-time intelligence to our police officers on the ground, who then managed to track and arrest the suspects.
Without the quick thinking of the CCTV Team and the fast response time of our officers, this gang could have fled the scene and targeted other retail premises in Ilford.
I sincerely hope these arrests send a clear and unequivocal message to criminals who think they can commit crimes in our town centres with impunity: We will find them, arrest them, and put them before the courts.”
The suspects were all bailed to return in connection with the event.
The CCTV control room, with over 700 cameras across Redbridge, has been effective, leading to more than 315 arrests in 2024. Ilford town center now has 78 public area CCTV cameras, and the borough-wide network has increased to 763 cameras in the previous year.
Redbridge now has a Safer Neighbourhood Team in each ward. In order to address antisocial behavior and other crimes in your neighborhood, please contact your local police department.
Redbridge council said that locals can always call 999 in an emergency. If anyone have witnessed or been the victim of a crime that isn’t an emergency, remember that your report can make a difference. People can report it via Met Police Report It.
Local’s vigilance and cooperation are crucial in maintaining the safety of our community.
What is the role of Redbridge council’s CCTV team?
To keep an eye on and react to illegal activity, the CCTV team collaborates closely with law enforcement. Numerous arrests and a decrease in local crime rates have resulted from this partnership.
The arrest of five people connected to a violent incident at JD Sports on Ilford High Road is a recent illustration of the team’s efficacy.
Other offenses involving the same group were suspected, such as a prior disturbance at JD Sports and an attempted theft at a vape shop.
With more than 700 cameras spread throughout the borough, Redbridge has one of the most sophisticated CCTV systems in the nation. Rapid incident response and real-time monitoring are made possible by this vast network.
The goal of the CCTV team’s larger Community Safety Partnership is to make the local community a safer place. Several agencies are collaborating to address crime and its causes as part of this partnership.