Portsmouth named CCTV hotspot as city has fifth highest number of cameras in UK

The city has the fifth most CCTV cameras in the UK, higher than places such as Doncaster, Wolverhampton and Aberdeen.

Statistics discovered through a freedom of information request by IronmongeryDirect shows Portsmouth has 1,997 cameras, according to 2022 local authority data.

Councillor Jason Fazackarley, cabinet member for safety in the community, said the cameras offer a variety of benefits.

He said: ‘Portsmouth City Council's CCTV cameras help manage our roads, protect our streets and commercial areas, are installed in and around our housing blocks and civic buildings, and assist in crime prevention and detection.’

The number of public surveillance cameras has increased to over 100,000 in the UK this year.

Grant Fulton, CMC operations manager at Corps Monitoring, said this trend will continue.

‘As technology continues to advance, so too will the application of CCTV monitoring systems,’ he said.

‘Over the next few years, CCTV technology will improve our personal safety, the safety of our homes, businesses, assets, and far more.

‘Currently, CCTV is mainly used for heatmaps and people counting but, in the future, CCTV-based facial recognition will be a significant part of our world, carrying major implications for personal device security and shopping.

‘As this technology increases, it drives down the cost of surveillance protection, making it more affordable and accessible than ever before.’

The place with the highest number of cameras is Hackney borough, in London.

Data was provided by 308 local authorities.

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Managing director Dominick Sandford said: ‘CCTV is an integral part of modern-day society, and cameras have grown more commonplace in recent years as technology and connectivity have improved.

‘The increases revealed in our research might raise privacy concerns, but generally CCTV benefits the safety and security of both the public and businesses, and the upwards trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon.’

Cllr Fazackarley said several measures are used to protect and use recordings properly.

‘Our code of practice regulates how we use the information collected by these cameras and the public’s rights in relation to them,’ he added.

‘In 2021, more than 1,300 copies of footage were used in various criminal and nuisance behaviour investigations.’