Glasgow left with 'no operational mobile CCTV vans', says union chief

Senior GMB representative Ross McArthur has labelled Glasgow City Council's move as ‘unacceptable and reckless', saying it is impacting services vital to protecting public safety.

The Glasgow Times understands that the local authority's warden service has just one mobile CCTV van left with the capability to capture images - and it’s claimed that it has been off the road awaiting repair since November 3.

According to union members, 10 years ago the service had 11 fully operational mobile vehicles and 87 officers at its disposal. Now the number is just 24 officers, including temporary staff that have been recruited in the last six months.

Mr McArthur said: “The streets of Glasgow are less safe because none of the CCTV vans are fully operational right now.  

"Asking officers to go out without the ability to record images is like asking a binman to empty bins without a lorry.

"This is a vital service, and our hands are tied because we are not able to capture the best evidence.

"Not only is public safety becoming an issue because there’s no way for our officers to capture anti-social behaviour on camera, but our members also feel their own safety is being compromised because they no longer have the backup of mobile imagining vans."

Ross McArthur (Image: Newsquest)

The union rep says public safety is being sacrificed because of the strain on the public purse.

He added: “In a bid to save money, jobs have been slashed and our members are expected to pick up the shortfall. It’s just not good enough.

"Why are the mobile units not operational and why is this key service to public safety being cut? Glasgow City Council needs to address this matter urgently.”

Along with helping to prevent and deter anti-social behaviour in city centre streets and outlying parts of Glasgow, the vehicles are also used to provide security at major events like the 2014 Commonwealth Games, football games and music festivals.

Glasgow City Council’s website states: “Alongside our 420 CCTV cameras across the city, we have a fleet of 11 mobile CCTV vehicles capable of recording and transmitting images from cameras situated on telescopic poles on the roofs of the vehicles.

“On a daily basis, our mobile CCTV is used to prevent and deter anti-social behaviour by providing a presence patrolling the streets in the city centre and each of Glasgow's wards.

“The equipment inside our vehicles is state-of-the-art, capturing high-quality images that can be transmitted in real time to our Glasgow operations centre. From there they can be monitored by staff and our partner agencies."

The Glasgow Times also understands that the CCTV vans left in the fleet need to be upgraded to electric vehicles.

Mr McArthur added: “Basically, the budget isn’t there to upgrade and replace them. The council has a massive financial hole to fill and there doesn’t appear to be much appetite to get this sorted.

“There are no additional resources on the table to address this. The best that’s been offered is four additional temporary jobs but that is not good enough. People have a right to feel safe on the streets. It's dreadful what’s going on.

"People are being kept in the dark as to what is going on, and we felt the time was right to put them in the picture."

The Glasgow Times can also reveal that the vehicles were not used to help with public safety or disorder during Operation Moonbeam on Bonfire Night.

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “The joint operation between the council, Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to keep communities safe on Bonfire Night proved to be very successful.

“The multi-agency team based in the control room at our Eastgate building had instant access to CCTV images from the council’s public space network and that helped to coordinate the joint response to incidents across the city.

“Unfortunately our mobile CCTV unit had to go off-road just before November 5, but the overall operation still proved to be very effective and will be repeated on future Bonfire Nights.

“We always seek to make the most of our available resources and our community enforcement officers continue to provide a valued service, despite the clear pressure on budgets in recent years.”