A Day in the Life of a CCTV Operator
Today the eight hour shift begins at 15.00; at 15.17 an operator spots a female acting suspiciously outside a property. We use the cameras to gather potential evidence and begin to monitor the situation. She is then seen to enter the premises via a window. We notify the Police who then attend the scene and arrest the female.
At 15.55 we are alerted of an incident via the Police radio. A male has been stopped by the Police, the cameras are focused on the incident where the male is searched and found to be in possession of crack cocaine. On further inspection he is also found to have skipped bail. He is arrested at the scene.
We hear a call via the Police radio that a female has been robbed, we are given a description of the suspects, which we use to search the vicinity. Two males are spotted by using several cameras located in the area. We direct the Police to the location of the males and they are arrested at the scene.
At 19.00 an operator spots an unruly group of males, who appear to be vandalising and attempting to break into a parked car. The Police are alerted and attend the scene. The group of males then disperse; we use several cameras within the area to gain evidence in order for the Police to identify the males involved. Two arrests were made.
Throughout the shift we notice a number of incidents as well as being notified of incidents via the police radio or a radio such as DRAC. We are asked to monitor several situations including three males being questioned in connection with a theft.
We receive information from the Police of stolen credit cards being used in the Stamford Hill area. During standard monitoring of the cameras an operator notices a male at an ATM using several different credit cards and withdrawing large amounts of cash. The Police were alerted and searched the male’s vehicle where more cash was found. He was arrested at the scene.
Many incidents have been recorded which will bring a number of Police Officers into the control room collecting evidence gathered from the CCTV cameras. We write statements and reproduce the recorded images for the Police, which will be used as evidence.
More information
Telephone line for use Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm – 020 8356 2379
Andy Wells - CCTV Manager
Tel: 020 8356 2183
Email: andy.wells@hackney.gov.uk
24 hour telephone line - 020 8356 2323
Email – cctv.leader@hackney.gov.uk
Page updated: 3 Sep 2008