Commissioner launches £125,000 CCTV fund to boost safety in Devon and Cornwall

Towns and villages across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will soon have access to new funding to improve community safety, catch criminals and deter offending, thanks to a scheme launched recently by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The initiative makes £125,000 available in 2025/26 from the Commissioner’s Strategic Interventions Fund to support areas most in need of additional CCTV. Councils, voluntary groups and eligible organisations can apply for up to £10,000 to pay for CCTV equipment and infrastructure.

The fund follows a string of multi-year investments through the government’s Safer Streets programme in Torquay, Paignton, Exeter, Plymouth, Camborne, Redruth and Falmouth, alongside the Commissioner’s original £300,000 investment to upgrade and better connect local systems to monitoring hubs.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “The key priorities I have set out in my Police and Crime Plan are reducing anti-social behaviour, drugs and alcohol, serious violence and theft. Funding CCTV helps towards achieving all these aims.

“This scheme is specifically targeting towns and villages across the peninsula to support local communities to fund additional CCTV capacity as part of their efforts to combat the devastating widespread impact of crime. It can be used for new CCTV installations and to upgrade CCTV systems already in place.

“I urge councils or equivalent organisations to submit bids for a share of the funding because CCTV is such an effective tool in helping prevent and detect crime as well as offering reassurance to residents and businesses.”

The scheme’s aim is to cut crime, provide vital evidence to secure convictions, and give residents greater confidence in their safety.

Town and parish councils have until Friday, 24th October to submit an Expression of Interest form, available by emailing PCCCommissioning@dc-pcc.gov.uk  Applicants will need to provide details of current systems, proposed upgrades, monitoring arrangements, timescales, and who will benefit.

Only one application per council will be considered. While the OPCC will provide funding for equipment, ongoing costs for maintenance and monitoring must be met locally.

Decisions will be made by the end of November.