POLICE CCTV will be rolled out across the Dyfed-Powys Police force area with an unexpected extra town in Powys being added onto the list that will be part of the first group of 17.

Dafydd Llywelyn, the Dyfed Powys Police Commissioner has announced that the contract has been awarded and work to reinvest in CCTV in the towns will start this month.

The towns that will received the CCTV are Newtown, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells brecon and unexpectedly, Welshpool

Calls were made in Newtown for CCTV cameras following a spate of attacks in the town last autumn.

In Welshpool, the Town Council threatened asking Police officers to pay for access to the current CCTV footage after they found out the town was not pencilled in as one of the areas for the first phase of the Commissioners project.

The force has completed a thorough procurement process and has awarded the contract for the work to Baydale Control Systems Ltd and hi-tech cameras are being supplied by Hikvision UK & Ireland.

This means that116 state of the art CCTV cameras to towns identified as priority camera locations through crime analysis and stakeholder consultation.

Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “CCTV was a key election pledge of mine, and I promised I would invest in a modern CCTV infrastructure.

"I am very pleased to be able to say that this is now happening.

"It is vitally important that the force makes the best use of this significant reinvestment to target hotspots and drive reductions linked to disorder and violence.

"This rollout will not be the end of the force’s work in this area and future opportunities for camera sites will be considered.”

Mark Collins, Dyfed-Powys Police Chief Constable, said: “The background work has been necessary to ensure we have a CCTV infrastructure of cameras in appropriate, needs-assessed locations.

“The cameras themselves will be the latest technology, which will help Dyfed-Powys to remain one of the safest places to live, work and visit in the UK.

"I’m confident the system will prove to be an invaluable asset in preventing crime and responding to emerging incidents swiftly before they escalate. Evidence from the CCTV cameras will also no doubt prove an important investigative tool for officers.”

"Work is scheduled to begin in Builth Wells, Powys on the second week of July. and is due for completion in Spring 2019."

Most of the existing cameras are owned by local authorities and town councils as part of the reinvestment project, and through agreement with the local authorities and councils, Dyfed-Powys Police will take ownership of 116 of those sites.

Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly Member, Russell George met with commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn on Tuesday to discuss the latest on the CCTV installation in Newtown

Russell George AM: “He said it would definitely be installed by the end of the year and he hoped it might be earlier than that.

“I also stressed on him the importance of consulting with businesses and people on the best locations for the CCTV cameras but I accept that this is still an operational decision for the police to make.”