Glasgow city centre CCTV cameras to be manned 24 hours amid changing crime patterns

CCTV cameras in Glasgow city centre are set to be manned 24 hours a day again – after the removal of around-the-clock cover was heavily criticised.

Glasgow City Council reduced the number of staff monitoring cameras in 2023 when it faced a budget shortfall of almost £50m.

Cameras are currently unmanned 12 hours a day, although footage is recorded 24/7. Chief superintendent Emma Croft, divisional commander for Greater Glasgow, previously said the situation was “hampering” investigations.

The council has also come under fire from the GMB union and city centre residents, who voiced safety concerns. Now, it has been announced that 24-hour monitoring will return.

Speaking as councillors met to set a budget for 2026/27 on Tuesday, city treasurer Ricky Bell, SNP, said the council would be “reinstating 24-hour CCTV in recognition of changing crime patterns”.

It comes as part of a funding package for city centre improvements, which includes £500,000 of revenue investment and £1m of capital.

The GMB, which represents members of the monitoring team, has welcomed the move, saying the streets of Glasgow will be safer – but senior rep Ross McArthur added the decision shouldn’t have taken so long.

He said: “The decision to monitor cameras for only 12 hours a day needlessly removed a crucial safety net and increased risk on our streets. We are glad councillors have finally recognised that.

“The people of Glasgow deserve every possible protection and that includes a network of working CCTV cameras monitored around the clock by trained and expert staff.

“There was never any logic or benefit in removing 24-hour monitoring when our members could raise the alarm immediately then street the emergency response every hour of every day.”

In November, police chief Emma Croft told councillors the force is “limited” in terms of “identification of individuals”, as cameras are only monitored for 12 hours a day.

Her comments came after Cllr Graham Campbell, SNP, asked about a “significant drop” in the detection rate for robberies and hate crimes at a Safe Glasgow meeting.

Figures showed there were 87 robberies, including assault with intent to rob, in the year (April 2025 to March 2026) to date (up to the end of September). This compared to 100 in the previous year to date, but detection was down from 79% to 60.9%.

On hate crimes, there were 595 in the year to date, compared to 584 during the same period last year. The detection rate was 67%.

Ms Croft said the council’s CCTV is “not resourced until 3 o’clock in the afternoon”.

“Believe it or not, a lot of our figures for hate crime and robberies in daylight are during those times,” she added.

“So we are limited as to what is available in terms of identification of individuals and any groups that are in and about the city centre. That is something that I will call out.”

She said the force was having discussions with the council over the issue, but it is “hampering us significantly at the moment”.

At the time, a council spokesman said Glasgow continued to have “the largest public space CCTV system of any local authority in the UK and our system is recording footage 24 hours a day”.

“Cameras are positioned on priority locations throughout the city to provide public reassurance for citizens and are monitored every day,” he added.

“All of the CCTV footage of city centre public spaces is relayed in real time to the police operations centre in Govan.”