Agenda item

9.38pm – Councillor Rebecca Harvey moved, seconded by Councillor Nikos Souslous, the special motion in their names.

“This Council notes:

1.    That H&F has one of the densest CCTV systems in the country, with over 2,000 cameras in operation.

2.    That Hammersmith & Fulham Council is investing £3.2 million in upgraded CCTV and surveillance technology to support the Met Police in fighting crime and protecting residents.

3.    That this investment builds on a prior £5.4 million CCTV programme and is part of a multi-year plan running through to 2027/28.

4.    That the new enhancements include artificial intelligence – enabling features such as more efficient video playback, automatic vehicle tracking, and retrospective facial recognition across the CCTV network.

5.    That “live recognition” cameras will be placed at 10 high-traffic sites, matching faces against a defined police database in real time, contingent on police support.

6.    That 500 existing cameras will be upgraded to allow better retrospective searching of footage to solve crimes.

7.    That 50 cameras will get speakers so officers can step in as and when anti-social behaviour is taking place.

8.    That the CCTV network complements the work of both the Metropolitan Police and the Council’s Law Enforcement Team, established in the face of opposition from the Conservative opposition.

This Council believes that all residents have the right to feel safe in public spaces and that technology, when used responsibly, can enhance community safety.

The Council affirms that the adoption of advanced tools will go hand in hand with robust policies, transparency and oversight.”

Speeches on the motion were made by Councillors Rebecca Harvey, Nikos Souslous, Lisa Homan, Stephen Cowan, Max Schmid, Rowan Ree, and Andrew Jones (for the Administration) – and Councillors Jose Afonso, Liam Downer-Sanderson, and Adrian Pascu-Tulbure (for the Opposition).

Councillor Harvey then made a speech winding up the debate before it was put to the vote:

FOR                        UNANIMOUS

AGAINST                0

NOT VOTING         0

The motion was declared CARRIED.

10.14pm – RESOLVED

This Council notes:

1. That H&F has one of the densest CCTV systems in the country, with over 2,000 cameras in operation.

2.    That Hammersmith & Fulham Council is investing £3.2 million in upgraded CCTV and surveillance technology to support the Met Police in fighting crime and protecting residents.

3.    That this investment builds on a prior £5.4 million CCTV programme and is part of a multi-year plan running through to 2027/28.

4.    That the new enhancements include artificial intelligence – enabling features such as more efficient video playback, automatic vehicle tracking, and retrospective facial recognition across the CCTV network.

5.    That “live recognition” cameras will be placed at 10 high-traffic sites, matching faces against a defined police database in real time, contingent on police support.

6.    That 500 existing cameras will be upgraded to allow better retrospective searching of footage to solve crimes.

7.    That 50 cameras will get speakers so officers can step in as and when anti-social behaviour is taking place.

8.    That the CCTV network complements the work of both the Metropolitan Police and the Council’s Law Enforcement Team, established in the face of opposition from the Conservative opposition.

This Council believes that all residents have the right to feel safe in public spaces and that technology, when used responsibly, can enhance community safety.

The Council affirms that the adoption of advanced tools will go hand in hand with robust policies, transparency and oversight.