Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner of Police.

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner of Police concerning the Barbican CCTV. 

The Committee was advised that following the September Police Committee, when Members were advised that a decision had been made not to go ahead with the Barbican CCTV project as part of the Ring of Steel Project, the CoL Police had continued its engagement and work with partners to consider other factors which might impact upon the security of the Barbican residential estate. 

The Committee were given an update on the following three areas where work was continuing:

• The City of London Corporation was currently reviewing its delivery of security at a Corporate level which included the Barbican Centre;
• Engagement with large developments on the periphery of the Barbican and the impact these might have on security, and
• The Ring of Steel programme and how this might still affect CCTV coverage around the Barbican.

A Member referred to the information in the report concerning the Schroders building and the fact that the building managers there had been ‘proactively engaging with the Police and were very keen to foster good relations, not only with the police but also with the residential population in the Barbican’, and asked if there was more work that could be done with the private sector to encourage this and enable a more joined up approach to security.

The Chairman reported that during his visit to the New York Police department with the Commissioner, they observed how private sector CCTV links fed into the Police CCTV room with the ability of personnel from relevant companies being engaged and suggested that this initiative be explored for use in the CoL.

The Commissioner advised that further work was being undertaken on the scoping of Phase 2 of CCTV upgrade as part of the Ring of Steel programme and an update would be reported to the Committee in September 2017.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.