Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) has boosted the number of CCTV cameras across the region from 36 to 504 in just two years.
A Freedom of Information request by IronmongeryDirect found Perth and Kinross had the biggest rise in CCTV cameras since 2022 of the 227 local authorities across the country who that shared their data.
PKC confirmed the majority of cameras had been installed in council buildings to increase safety with 44 in public spaces.
A PKC spokesperson said: “In recent years the council has invested significantly in the upgrading of public space CCTV cameras from analogue to digital equipment. Public space CCTV cameras are those mounted on poles and buildings, principally in Perth city centre.
“These cameras are installed and maintained by the council and monitored by Police Scotland.
“The upgrading of the camera equipment is an ongoing process and the total number of public space cameras has risen from 35 to 44, including new cameras in Auchterarder and Crieff.
“For clarity, the rest of the overall number stated are not public space cameras but equipment installed in council buildings and monitored by our staff to support building security and user safety.”
In February 2023, Conservative Strathearn ward councillor Noah Khogali raised concern about the purchase of Hikvision cameras and fears they could be used for covert surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party.
After the matter was raised during a security briefing, Perth and Kinross Council imposed a moratorium on purchasing Chinese-manufactured surveillance cameras deemed a potential security risk.
The council confirmed no additional Hikvision cameras had been purchased since last February.
The PKC spokesperson said at the time: “The council has purchased no additional Hikvision cameras since its decision in February 2023 and continues to follow government guidance in relation to Hikvision products.”
FOI figures showed there are currently 90,597 public CCTV cameras controlled by UK local authorities.
Almost two-thirds of councils – 64 per cent – have increased their surveillance and 50 have more than doubled their CCTV presence over the past two years.
The figures do not include privately owned equipment operated by businesses or local residents.
However, while Perth and Kinross tops the list of councils in terms of its percentage increase, it has a long way to go to catch up with the number of publicly operated cameras in other local authorities.
The London borough of Hackney operates 3,549 CCTV cameras, with 18 local authorities controlling over 1,000 cameras each.
The second highest percentage increase was East Dunbartonshire with a rise from 60 CCTV cameras in 2022 to 685 in 2024 – a 1,042 per cent increase. East Ayrshire was third with a 1008 per cent increase – from 80 to 886. Six of the 10 councils increasing surveillance at the fastest rate were in Scotland.
Ellis Osborn from InronmongeryDirect, who submitted the FOI, said: “With the expansion of CCTV across the UK, it’s clear that security is an ever-growing priority for local authorities. Theft can impact both businesses and households in a wide variety of ways, from financial loss to emotional distress, so it’s crucial that people protect their properties as much as possible.”