New CCTV camera installed on Exmouth seafront to deter anti-social behaviour

Funded by £6,000 from Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez’s Safer Summer Scheme, the new camera aims to help people feel safer when they visit the seafront.

An outbreak of antisocial behaviour in Exmouth in June prompted Commissioner Hernandez to invest £500,000 in tourist hotspots across Devon and Cornwall.

Exmouth was the first to receive its share of the funding and a series of measures were quickly put in place – including beach marshals patrolling the seafront, Marine Drive and Orcombe Point – which helped ease the immediate problems.

The marshals will be deployed until September but the installation of the new CCTV camera, which is situated above the lifeboat station in Queen’s Drive, means there will be longer term legacy benefits.

Chief Inspector Mark Moore, who is also chairman of the community safety partnership, said: “The CCTV system will provide coverage to reduce ASB on the beach, the footway, Marine Drive and Foxholes car park and will help the police to build evidence against those acting antisocially along the beach.

“The camera will also be monitored by the National Coast Watch team on the seafront which will help to make the beach safe for anyone who gets into trouble in that area.”

The camera installation comes after another camera was positioned by Exmouth Town Council in The Esplanade on a trial basis as part of its ongoing work to upgrade the town’s existing CCTV network.

Commissioner Hernandez said: “I am delighted that what was a short-term response to an emerging issue will have a lasting legacy in one of our most visited locations.

“We are all trying to return to some normality in our lives and a big part of that is people feeling safe to enjoy our beautiful open spaces.

“To do this we need shops, bars, restaurants and cafes to be open and thriving so that we can provide visitors with a warm west country welcome and residents with a safe place to enjoy their lives.”