Harlow Council set to deliver one of UK's most advanced CCTV…

Harlow Council is investing nearly £500,000 to deliver a modern, fully integrated and industry-leading CCTV network across every corner of Harlow, creating one of the most advanced public safety systems in local government.

The investment will transform how the council prevents crime, tackles antisocial behaviour and protects residents by replacing traditional standalone CCTV with one intelligent network. High-definition cameras, access control, alarms, intercoms and advanced monitoring technology will all operate through a single centrally managed platform, giving operators a complete real-time picture across the town and enabling faster, more coordinated responses when incidents occur.

Powered by the latest AI technology, the network can distinguish between genuine risks and environmental movement such as weather or shadows, dramatically reducing false alarms and allowing operators to focus on the incidents that matter most.

Combined with advanced video search, intelligent mapping, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), facial recognition and other cutting-edge capabilities, the system will give the council, police and other enforcement agencies powerful new tools to prevent crime, identify offenders and bring more criminals to justice.

Work is already under way to install new cameras in the town centre, Civic Centre and Town Park ahead of this year's Town Show, with the network designed to expand as Harlow Council continues Building Harlow's Future.

The new CCTV network will:

• Detect suspicious activity earlier using intelligent AI-powered monitoring.
• Expand high-definition CCTV coverage across Harlow.
• Enable faster, real-time responses to incidents across the town.
• Help prevent crime and antisocial behaviour before incidents escalate.
• Reduce false alarms by distinguishing genuine risks from environmental movement.
• Track vehicles linked to crime using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
• Support investigations through facial recognition technology.
• Locate, track and review incidents in seconds using advanced video search and mapping.
• Strengthen enforcement with faster, higher-quality evidence.
• Integrate CCTV, alarms, intercoms and access control into one intelligent, centrally managed system.
• Create one of the UK's most advanced and future-ready public safety networks.

The project is supported by £200,000 from the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, with the remaining investment funded by Harlow Council.

Announcing the new system, Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, said:

"This is a transformational investment that will fundamentally change how we prevent crime, protect our communities and respond when incidents happen.

"Crime and antisocial behaviour have blighted our communities for far too long. Enough is enough. Too often, traditional CCTV has simply recorded crime after it has happened. This network changes that. It will help detect risks sooner, catch those responsible and give our enforcement teams and the police the technology they need to act faster and more effectively than ever before.

"Had this technology been in place previously, incidents such as the fire that destroyed our Town Park bandstand could have been detected sooner, giving emergency services the earliest possible warning. It will also help us identify vehicles linked to crime through ANPR, strengthen investigations and provide the evidence needed to catch criminals and bring them to justice.

"As we Build Harlow's Future, we're building one of the most advanced CCTV networks anywhere in the UK because our residents deserve to feel safe. We're taking the fight to criminals and those responsible for antisocial behaviour, and we're backing that up with industry-leading technology, decisive action and a zero-tolerance approach."

Councillor Danielle Brown, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community, added:

"This technology is a game changer.

"Whether it's tackling persistent antisocial behaviour in our flat blocks, identifying vehicles linked to theft, helping catch shoplifters and fly-tippers, monitoring large crowds at major events like the Town Show or helping emergency services respond more quickly to incidents, this new network gives us capabilities we've never had before.

"By bringing together AI-powered monitoring, high-definition cameras, Automatic Number Plate Recognition, facial recognition and real-time intelligence into one integrated system, we can identify offenders more quickly, provide stronger evidence to the police, help bring more criminals to justice and focus our resources where they will have the greatest impact.

"This investment means Harlow will have the technology to prevent more crime, catch more offenders and make Harlow one of the safest towns in the country."