Hi-tech CCTV cameras are to go up across the borough after council chiefs approved a near £2 million spend to improve surveillance.

The programme of work will see a network of state of the art cameras equipped with the latest digital technology installed to keep borough residents safe. It was approved by Dudley Council’s ruling cabinet at a meeting last week.

As part of the scheme the current central control base will move from a local police station to a new, highly secure facility specifically designed to meet the requirements and demands required of a modern CCTV service.

That will trigger a major investment plan to bring in new high-tech cameras, giving greater capacity to monitor town centres and hotspot crime areas, while working in conjunction with West Midlands Police, providing live CCTV images to the control room. Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member for housing, communities and residents’ welfare, said:

"This investment shows we are serious about protecting the residents of our borough. CCTV can help bring the perpetrators of crime, anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping to justice, and also act as a deterrent to stop people breaking the law.

"The footage captured can be critical in prosecutions – and thanks to this investment, our images will be high quality and give police the best chance to identify those responsible."

An audit of 80 cameras across the borough has found many are old, outdated or in need of repair. Once the scheme is complete there will be a mixture of static and mobile cameras, expanding to more areas than before. The council is planning to overhaul the system and replace the cameras by spring next year.