CCTV for Burnham: councils invest in a safer village

Burnham now has a new CCTV system, thanks to a joint project between Buckinghamshire Council and Burnham Parish Council.

In recent years there have been concerns about a lack of CCTV in Burnham compared to other areas, and following recent incidents the Parish Council prioritised getting a new system. At the same time Buckinghamshire Council was upgrading its CCTV across the county.

Following discussions between the two councils, Buckinghamshire Council agreed to install CCTV cameras in Burnham Village Centre, and to add them to its 24-hour monitoring network. The Parish Council chipped in funds to upgrade the model of cameras being installed, to strengthen the quality and range of coverage, and the councils worked together to identify the best locations to get the CCTV in and operational quickly.

Within a couple of days of installation footage from the cameras was already being used by police investigating crime in the area.

Chair of Burnham Parish Council, Cllr Marie Hammon, said “I engage with Burnham residents on a day-to-day basis, and many of them feel unsafe. We are confident that this project will contribute significantly to crime prevention and, perhaps even more importantly, to the sense of well-being and confidence in our village.”. She added that Buckinghamshire Council’s recognition of some of the needs of the area was “very welcome and appreciated”.

The Parish Council will be monitoring the impact of the CCTV carefully, and considering options to further extend it in the future.