The Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary has spoken out about plans by Warrington Borough Council to close their CCTV control room.
Earlier this month the local authority announced a number of proposals as part of plans to save approximately £130m over the next four years.
One of the proposals put forward by the authority is the complete closure of the town centre CCTV control room.
The proposal would mean that the cameras would no longer be monitored live time and instead would be left switched on in fixed positions and could only be viewed retrospectively.
Cheshire Constabulary Chief Constable Mark Roberts, said: “Crime and disorder in Warrington has fallen over recent years, and this has been achieved because of effective partnership working across agencies – not by any single organisation operating in isolation.
“A key contributor to this success has been the real-time monitoring of the town centre CCTV system, which plays an essential role in preventing crime, enabling rapid intervention, and supporting the safety of the night-time economy, retail environment, and particularly women and girls.
“As stated in the council’s own report, in 2025 alone our officers attended approximately 3,500 incidents and 600 people were arrested, as a direct result of interventions by staff within the CCTV control room.
“These included arrests for a number of serious offences such as sexual assaults, assaults, and possession of weapons, along with other offences such as shoplifting, vagrancy, and theft.
“Within their report the council also states that is the responsibility of Cheshire Constabulary to ensure the safety of residents. Not only is this factually incorrect, but it fundamentally misrepresents the established legal framework and undermines decades of collaborative working.
“While policing plays a vital role in protecting the public, community safety is not solely the responsibility of the police. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 places shared statutory duties on local authorities and police forces alike to work in partnership, prepare and implement community safety strategies, and act collectively to reduce crime and disorder.
“During previous meetings and in the agendas published online, it has been suggested that there had been early discussions with Cheshire Police in relation to the plans prior to the proposals being announced. However, this is simply not the case and to date we have been unable to have any constructive discussions with the council.
“I have personally made multiple attempts to contact them to discuss their proposals, but have yet to receive a response, which is why I feel my only option is to speak out to local residents, councillors and MPs, directly.
“I want to make it clear that if the council goes ahead with the proposals to move to a passive, unmonitored system, I have no doubt that it will substantially diminish the number of arrests and is likely to result in an increase in crime levels in the area.
“Cheshire Constabulary remains committed to working collaboratively with Warrington Borough Council to keep residents safe, however I truly feel that the proposal as currently stated is a significant backwards step, which will have a substantial impact on the safety and security of local residents and businesses.”
