Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Croydon Council faces mounting criticism as nearly a third of its public CCTV cameras remain non-functional, creating surveillance blackspots across the borough.
Experts caution that these surveillance loopholes are jeopardizing attempts to prevent crime and endanger public safety.
As of April 3, 2025, 29.5% of the council’s cameras are still not working, despite an improvement from the 58.2% percentage of malfunctioning cameras in 2023.
With 98 cameras in 2023, Croydon‘s ongoing unreliability may jeopardize its ability to solve crimes, according to experts.
Shahzad Ali, CEO of Get Licensed, stressed that CCTV cameras are crucial for both preventing and solving crime.
“Buildings without CCTV are five times more likely to be burgled,” he said, urging local authorities to ensure their systems are fully functional.
In sharp contrast, the nearby Sutton Borough Council stated that over the same time frame examined by Get Licensed, 98% of its cameras were operational.
According to Ali, this demonstrates Croydon’s difficulty in keeping up a functional CCTV network, whilst other councils are able to maintain their systems.
He added:
“As we can see from this study, there are still black spots in this CCTV coverage. Some local authorities have reported over 50 per cent of their CCTV cameras are out of operation due to faults or lack of maintenance.
Therefore, it is important that we continue to encourage people to train in the security sector, gaining knowledge in CCTV operation so they can help identify faults and help the UK move towards becoming a safer place.”
A council spokesperson said:
“The safety and wellbeing of residents and visitors is a priority for the Executive Mayor Jason Perry, and we work closely with the police and our partners to make our borough safer.
The Mayor plans to continue upgrading Croydon’s entire CCTV public space camera system, and this will allow us to work more effectively with the police to detect and deter crime and anti-social behaviour.”
He said that they are also investing in improving our mobile cameras.
Procedures for maintaining and running CCTV systems are outlined in the council’s CCTV operations policy. This covers employee education and compliance with the Protection of Freedoms Act of 2012.
To obtain contracts for CCTV maintenance and upgrades, Croydon Council is probably using tender procedures. This entails requesting bids from vendors in order to efficiently provide and maintain CCTV systems.
These can be installed temporarily in areas around the borough where we see an increase in crime or anti-social behaviour so they can work with local policing teams to target hot spots and improve our borough’s safety for everyone living, visiting or working here.
The representative went on to say that urgent repairs are being made to guarantee Croydon’s CCTV system is fully operational again. With an emphasis on both stationary and mobile monitoring systems, the council is constantly working to increase safety.
As part of a pilot project, the Met Police said last month that facial recognition cameras would soon be installed on Croydon street furniture.
This comes after live facial recognition (LFR) vans were previously placed throughout Croydon and other London districts.
With just 98 cameras throughout the entire borough, Croydon boasts one of the fewest public CCTV cameras per person in the United Kingdom. The borough’s capacity to efficiently monitor public areas is further diminished by this restricted coverage and the high percentage of malfunctioning cameras.
Croydon Council has not made public any clear measures to deal with the problem of malfunctioning cameras in a comprehensive manner. However, by keeping an eye on crowded places and working with partners, the council’s public space CCTV system aims to improve public safety.
Although there are issues with data usage and storage, LFR technology maps a person’s facial traits and compares them to watch lists. Zoe Garbett, a member of the London Assembly for the Green Party, criticized the plan, referring to it as “surveillance without our knowledge.”
What measures is Croydon Council taking to repair or replace the faculty CCTV cameras?
For the purchase, setup, and upkeep of CCTV systems, the council has created a procurement strategy. The goal of this strategy is to guarantee that all CCTV systems are run in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Grant money has been obtained by Croydon Council to improve its CCTV system. As part of this, 72 CCTV cameras will be connected to the control room via complete fiber connectivity, improving the surveillance network’s dependability and effectiveness.
The central control center and CCTV systems at housing facilities are being integrated by the council. This guarantees that every CCTV image is safely captured and handled in compliance with data protection laws.