Alarming cuts to CCTV coverage across Renfrewshire will put lives at risk and must be halted, union chiefs have warned.
GMB Scotland said reducing the team that monitors the local network of cameras by a third will remove crucial protection for neighbourhoods from fire and crime.
The experienced staff – who help shape emergency response teams to incidents and monitor town centres for criminality – will be cut from six to four under the proposals laid out.
Put forward by Renfrewshire Council, the plan also suggests the cameras are not monitored three nights a week and on bank holidays. Shift changes mean the cameras will not be monitored at night on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday when staff will be unavailable to raise the alarm about potentially life-threatening emergencies.
The news comes in the same week councillors have raised concerns about a rise in antisocial behaviour and when figures show violent crime in Renfrewshire rose by nine per cent last year.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said: “The concerns raised by the proposed cuts to the CCTV monitoring team are both understandable and justified. The potential implications are obvious and potentially life-threatening.
“The ability of trained staff to expertly monitor and immediately respond to events unfolding on CCTV is crucial for the emergency services. Now, to save money, that life-saving ability to respond urgently with real-time information on the unfolding situation will be lost for three nights a week and bank holidays.
“It might be nice to believe that nothing bad happens after dark at the start of the week but that does not make it true.”
He added: “Being safe on the streets of Renfrewshire should not be a lottery and the council must reconsider these cuts and ensure our communities are properly protected.”
The union argues the cuts to staff will also see emergency response teams go into fraught situations without crucial real-time guidance provided by those monitoring the CCTV footage. Staff also work with the police to collect potentially important footage for investigating officers.
Councillor Jamie McGuire, who last week spoke of the impact of antisocial behaviour in Renfrew, says the plans must be abandoned. The representative for Renfrew North and Braehead said: “I am alarmed by proposals to reduce or restructure Renfrewshire’s community warden service.
“With antisocial behaviour on the rise – including bins being set on fire and graffiti on nearly every street corner – this service is more crucial than ever. The safety of our communities should be a non-negotiable priority, and cutting back on this essential service would be a reckless step in the wrong direction.”
He added: “I call on Renfrewshire Council to abandon these plans and instead focus on strengthening the measures that keep our communities safe and secure. Now is the time to support the people and services that make a real difference, not to dismantle them.
“Our residents deserve to live in a place where they feel safe and supported. Cutting back on community wardens would send entirely the wrong message – to the people who rely on their support and to those who engage in anti-social behaviour.
“We need to protect this service and show a clear commitment to making Renfrewshire a better place for everyone.”
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We have carried out a review of our public space CCTV operations which included considering incident data, to ensure the service meets demand and delivers best value.
“The proposed new model maintains 24/7 incident recording and continues to support Police Scotland in reviewing footage of incidents, while targeting resource more effectively to Fridays and weekends when the highest number of incidents are recorded. Separately, there are also temporary CCTV cameras used by council services to tackle targeted problems.
“We continue to prioritise public safety and CCTV is one of a range of measures which help address antisocial behaviour, alongside ongoing effective partnership working with local policing teams and work by our community support and youth officers.”
Don’t miss the latestRenfrewshire headlines –sign up to our free daily newsletter here