New radio equipment in Southend to help reduce local crime

December 20, 2017 by Southend Borough Council

New radio equipment to help reduce local crime

Wednesday 20 December 2017

The Borough’s former CCTV radio system has been replaced with a new, digital system.

The new Townlink radio scheme is in partnership with Shopsafe and will now cover the whole of the Southend-on-Sea Borough, offering improved coverage compared to the previous equipment which only covered the high street and immediate area.

The scheme will allow businesses to communicate together, helping to share important safety information such as a renowned shoplifter being in the area to help protect stock. The LCD display shows the name of the person calling to further improve communication.

On top of improved coverage, the Townlink radio scheme also links businesses with the Council’s CCTV control room, as well as other agencies such as the Police, Youth Offending and the BID Street Rangers, for optimized communication and safety.

Upgrading the old system to the new system comes at no cost to the Council, as the cost of the radios is funded by businesses signing up with Shopsafe on a monthly contract.

Cllr Ann Holland, Executive Councillor for Culture, Tourism and the Economy, said “Keeping residents, businesses and visitors to our town safe is a top priority for us, so a new scheme that offers more support is welcomed with open arms.

“The council boasts one of the best CCTV services and control rooms in the region, and we recently hosted a consultation in August proposing to upgrade the current cameras for even more coverage. The new radio system, along with the fantastic CCTV coverage we already have, will give people and businesses alike, a sense of added safety in and around the town.”

Businesses that would like to get sign up can do so by visiting http://www.shopsaferadio.com/