Glasgow to return to 24-hour CCTV operation within months

CCTV cameras in Glasgow city centre are set to be manned 24 hours a day again from late September.

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

The move came under fire from Police Scotland, trade unions and city centre residents and the council’s budget in February included funding to reverse it.

Currently, cameras are unmanned for 12 hours a day, although footage is recorded 24/7.

At a council meeting yesterday, Bailie Ann Jenkins, Labour, asked for an explanation over the “lengthy delay” in recruiting new staff to allow around-the-clock cover to return.

She said gaps in coverage are “particularly concerning in the context of anti-social behaviour in the city centre”.

Cllr Laura Doherty, the council convener for neighbourhood services and assets, said consultation had been carried out with current workers and trade unions on changes to shift patterns before the recruitment process started.

“These patterns are now agreed, and the job adverts for these posts are currently live, and they close on July 5,” she added.

“When candidates receive a conditional offer of employment, they then must complete the security industry authority CCTV operator training and satisfy non-police personnel vetting.

“Therefore, we are looking at full recruitment and updated shift patterns going live by the end of September.”

Cllr Doherty said having approved funding in February to “have staff live and active by September is a pretty quick turnaround”.

In November last year, chief superintendent Emma Croft, divisional commander for Greater Glasgow, told the Safe Glasgow partnership that the situation was “hampering” investigations.

She said the force was “limited” in terms of “identification of individuals”. The CCTV is manned from 3pm to 3am.

In February, city treasurer Ricky Bell, SNP, said the council would be “reinstating 24-hour CCTV in recognition of changing crime patterns”.