Town's new CCTV system to be turned on in March

Sixteen new CCTV cameras being installed in a town centre are expected to be switched on at the end of March.

The new technology is replacing an outdated system in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Funding for the £50,000 scheme was allocated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Donna Jones.

The cameras will be installed in locations chosen by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and will be run and maintained by Eastleigh Borough Council.

Ms Jones said the cameras would "act as a strong deterrent against anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and crime as a whole".

Eastleigh district commander Ch Insp Rachel Noble said: "CCTV is absolutely crucial to preventing and detecting crime and I am delighted that by working together... [we] have been able to find a solution that not only maintains CCTV coverage in the town centre but significantly improves it."

Ruth Davies, of Eastleigh Town Council, said: "The retention and upgrade of Eastleigh town centre's CCTV system shows what is possible when people with shared skills, values, and vision work together."

Previous plans to decommission 50 CCTV cameras in the town were reversed, following complaints from residents and businesses.

Eastleigh Borough Council had said the system was too expensive to maintain, increasingly outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

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