Public places in Neath Port Talbot are due to be monitored by a new generation of modern CCTV cameras focusing on keeping people safe.

The CCTV system, which has around 50 cameras, is used to provide a safer environment by protecting people and property, deterring crime and helping to solve it when it happens.

Like many local authority CCTV networks developed in the mid-1990s, the system is now in need of replacement and Neath Port Talbot Council has issued a tender seeking a specialist technology firm to replace the system with a modern digital solution capable of producing significantly higher definition images.

Councillor Leanne Jones, Neath Port Talbot Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for community safety and public protection, welcomed the start of the tendering process.

She said: “Our camera systems help improve public safety, assist the police in the identification and reduction of crime within the county borough and help reduce anti-social behaviour.

“They are one of the many tools we use, working with the Safer Neath Port Talbot Community Safety Partnership, to make communities safer and it is vital we are now starting the process of replacing our system with the very latest technology.

“CCTV also provides a visible presence to give reassurance to our communities.”