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| Cover of first edition of Orwell's famous novel |
The authority's cabinet is poised to approve the investment at a meeting next week.
A report states: "Expenditure in the latest digital technology will assist in the prevention, detection and prosecution of crime, environmental crime, and anti-social behaviour.
"This will improve the public’s perception that public spaces are a safe place to visit by reducing the fear of crime."
The sum allocated is eye-wateringly high - £1,002,500.00 - but NELC hopes it will pay for itself over time, not just by reducing crime and nuisance but also by facilitating the issue of fixed penalty notices.
The gadgetry will link up and upgrade the existing CCTV network across Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham.
There will be enhanced coverage of the Cleethorpes Armed Forces Memorial Gate including the relocation of the column and provision of two extra cameras to monitor the memorial and provide support to the night-time economy in Sea View Street.
There will also be Rapid Deployment capability - 10 cameras in total - for use in localised areas (including parks) which have been identified as trouble hotspots.
Also proposed is the introduction of a tannoy system, with no fewer than 10 speakers to be placed in key town centre locations.
These will be used to:
* Warn members of the public, those who are engaging in anti- social behaviour, to advise them they are being monitored in an effort to "de-escalate" their activity.
* Support emergency services in response to particular incidents where information needs to be relayed or an evacuation is required.
The report to cabinet notes that the council's current CCTV system was installed in the 1990s and has had several upgrades carried out, but presents the following issues:
• Gaps in camera coverage within Grimsby town centre and Cleethorpes
• Some redundant cameras and others with transmission faults
• Very limited Rapid Deployment Camera capability and monitoring
• Multiple transmission systems
• An element of outdated analogue equipment that is costly to maintain
The initiative is certain to be applauded by retailers, licensees and businesses, many of whom have long urged more efficient and more effective CCTV.
The proposed upgrade will dovetail with the council's Public Space Strategy which aims to:
• Provide public re-assurance in our town centre, resort and local communities
• Help to prevent, detect and investigate crime, environmental crime and anti-social behaviour
• Provide quality evidence to support police operational response, investigations and prosecutions
• Support the most vulnerable members of our community
• Support management of emergencies or major incidents, with ongoing out of hour’s assistance
• Assist in town centre and event management
• Protect people, property and assets to improve general security across the borough, both in terms of personal security and security of buildings and premises
• To make North East Lincolnshire a more safe and attractive place to live, shop, work and socialise
• Assist with the handling of complaints, insurance claims and Health and Safety Investigations
The report is due to be considered by NELC's cabinet at its next meeting on Wednesday July 8.
The Grimsby News says: For many decades after George Orwell's ninth and final book, 1984, was published in 1949, readers thought it was an enjoyable and stimulating read, but absurdly far-fetched. The themes included mass surveillance, monitoring of behaviour within society, Government over-reach and a police state. Yet, 70 years later, here we are in that once unthinkable situation. This latest NELC initiative clearly represents an intrusion into privacy and liberty, yet it will be questioned by few. Indeed most will heartily applaud it. But the fact is that intensive surveillance seeks to address the symptoms of malaise within a society, not the causes of it. What is more, it marks another slide down the slippery slope to authoritarianism. How depressing that we have come to such a sorry state of affairs.
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