Over 25% of CCTV systems ran by local councils in the Scottish Borders now out of order, report finds

More than a quarter of all the CCTV systems ran by public authorities across the Scottish Borders are not currently working at the required standards, a recent news report has been able to suggest.

According to the paper, outdated closed-circuit TV systems monitoring streets in the region are being allowed to fall into disrepair as neither Scottish Borders Council nor Police Scotland will foot the bill to replace them.

Currently, 19 of the council’s 70 CCTV cameras are out of order, and the report warns that the number of faulty systems is likely to increase.

There are eight systems, all operated by Police Scotland, covering Duns, Eyemouth, Galashiels, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Peebles and Selkirk.

The council is currently spending £40,000 a year repairing the systems, and the report advises councillors that that will continue until the CCTV cameras are “beyond economic repair”.

The author of the report, Martin Joyce, the council’s director of assets and infrastructure, writes: “The council meets all ongoing revenue costs, including energy consumption, telecoms charges, consumable items and annual charges from the contractors who provide maintenance support for each system.

“Police Scotland does not make any financial contribution to the town centre schemes.

“The council’s current position with regards to CCTV provision is not to install new CCTV equipment or replace life-expired systems but to continue to maintain the current assets within the existing revenue budget until they are beyond economic repair.

“Generally the systems are analogue, and with recent technological advances, they are now out of date.

“Replacing the current out-of-date analogue systems with the same technology is not recommended as the technology is old and is becoming obsolete.

“Replacing the current systems with the latest high-definition technology will require a large capital investment.”

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