Market Drayton set for 25 CCTV cameras boost
Market Drayton's town centre will be covered by about 25 new high quality cameras by the end of the year, if plans are successful.
A working group of town councillors is preparing to launch the next phase of its programme of improvements and replacements to the town's cameras.
It was announced earlier this month that the town council had bagged £10,000 in funding from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion.
The money will go to the ongoing improvement of the town's camera coverage and will be match-funded by the town council itself.
The working group is preparing a presentation to the rest of the town council to take place on August 6, when it will be asked to approve the next phase of the CCTV programme.
Town centre
It would include about 25 new cameras being installed around the town centre, in areas including the High Street, Stafford Street, Queen Street, Shropshire Street and Frogmore Road. Some banks in the town centre would also be covered.
If the plans are approved, the working group will move forward to choose a provider for new cameras, which would be of a higher quality than those currently covering the town and would be more effective in low light conditions.
Town councillor Mike Smith, a tech expert and leader of the working group, said he hopes the new project would help deter and catch criminals operating in the town centre.
"Some of the older cameras have been there for 25 years, they were the very first CCTV cameras we had in the town," he said.
"There have been a lot of improvements and you get a lot more for your dollar these days.
"We went over to Oswestry to look at their CCTV, it's very impressive. We went to a room with a wall of TVs, showing the displays."
