Tower Hamlets Council have announced a new CCTV van and £3.2 million investment to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.

Funded by the council, the state-of-the-art van is able to move across crime hotspots in the borough. Inside, the van has multiple cameras watched by train operatives, that film a 360 degree view of the area. The footage is in high definition, and zoomed in images can be sent to the police. On top of this, the cameras also have infared and thermal technology, to capture crime in complete darkness.

The CCTV vehicle is also fitted with speakers and a system that allows the video to be streamed to the police and council’s control centre.

Lutfar Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:  ‘Crime prevention, tackling anti-social behaviour and investing in CCTV are top priorities for this council as we understand the negative impact they can have on our communities.’

The van was launched in Chrisp Street Market on 7 July, where Cllr Ohid Ahmed joined Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers, local police and the council’s anti-social behaviour officers.

Aswell as the CCTV van, a £3.2 million upgrade of CCTV across Tower Hamlets is taking place. The camera will capture better quality images, and make catching criminals easier. The council are also launching knife amnesty boxes across the borough.