Smile, you’re sure to be on camera!

Darren McGrattan (Response Services Manager).

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

WITH access to cameras covering every inch of the town centre, First Response staff keep a watchful eye over Oldham.

Their finely-honed monitoring skills have helped police with around 550 incidents over the last year.

From shoplifters and thieves during the day to drink drivers and fighters at night, the team work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Control room supervisor Harry Mullen, who has been in post for four years, is in charge of 12 people who each do 12 hour shifts.

He said: “We mainly monitor the town centre during the day and Yorkshire Street at night and its fair to say we’ve seen some sights over the years.

“We can follow incidents from camera to camera then put all the footage on to one disk for the police.

“We also have access to the police radio feed so we can monitor situations and keep on top of what’s happening.

“The police tell us that our support is invaluable — if you get caught doing something on CCTV, there’s no way you can deny it.

“The camera doesn’t lie and the quality of the images is so much better than it used to be.

“I have heard people say that CCTV is intrusive and an invasion of privacy but it is there to protect people and if you aren’t doing anything wrong, there’s no need to worry about it.

“The cameras were particularly useful during the race riots as control room staff could track the action and keep police informed when people were on the move.

“Sometimes the things that you see on camera, especially violence, can stay in your mind when you go home but you do get to witness some amusing incidents as well.

“The new town centre play area seems to attract the attention of people that have had a drink at night.

“But so far, we’ve not seen anyone cause any damage, they just seem to be curious about it and want a closer look. I really enjoy certain aspects of my job and I think as long as I’m doing my bit to keep the public safe, I’ve done my job well.”

The First Response service was launched 16 years ago to protect public spaces, civic buildings and schools.

Through its control room, the service also takes out of hours calls, oversees the council’s response to emergency situations and keeps an eye on alarms in public buildings.

Team members, who all have full security training, work alongside police and fire officers and staff are equipped to assist with civil emergencies, such as the Shaw blast and the race riots.

In total, the monitor 77 public space cameras and 90 non-public cameras mainly in parts of Chadderton, Fitton Hill, Limehurst, Failsworth, Glodwick, Westwood, Coldhurst and Werneth.

The council recently invested £320,000 upgrading the control room.

The works include increased digital storage and more CCTV screens to make the system fit for purpose for years to come.
To read the full story go the E-Chron digital edition or buy the Chronicle.