CCTV In Ashford And Tenterden

Stopping crime and keeping you safe

Our CCTV system is made up of cameras around Ashford and Tenterden. Some of these are fixed, while others can zoom in, pan and tilt. All images go to our CCTV control room, the Ashford Monitoring Centre.

By using CCTV we aim to:

Help detect crime by providing evidence in criminal proceedings
Prevent and reduce crime, public disorder and anti-social behaviour
Help the police track and capture people suspected of committing crime
Help identify witnesses
Support Kent Police and the Community Safety Partnership
Help improve the town
Help improve traffic management in Ashford

CCTV documentation

Individual rights

For guidance on how to obtain data about yourself which is held by Ashford Borough Council, please visit our individual rights page.

Moveable cameras

Some of our CCTV cameras are mobile so we can use them temporarily in areas of most need.

The request for deployment must be compatible with our Code of Practice and should normally cover one or more of the following circumstances:

Deployment is requested or supported by the Police
Deployment will save other costs being incurred from the public purse, e.g. in policing, security or council staff costs
Will provide a basis for evaluating the likely effectiveness of (a) fixed camera(s) in a given location
Will assist in detection and arrest of perpetrators of a spate of particular crime(s)
Is to respond to crime hotspots, anti social behaviour or transient problems
Is for emergency planning incidents and public safety
Is to support special police operations
Is to assist in the detection and prosecution of "environmental crime" e.g. fly-tipping

All applications for the deployment of movable CCTV cameras must take into consideration the council’s responsibilities under current legislation and existing CCTV Codes of Practice. Applications must also take the following requirements into consideration:

Justifiable – there must be adequate reason to show that the cameras are an appropriate response. This will usually be shown by evidence of repeated complaints of past incidents, or intelligence on future incidents or events
General – the target of the surveillance must be in a public area or against unknown offenders. If a known individual(s) is the target this becomes ‘Direct Surveillance’ and the deployment will additionally have to be authorised under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
Reviewable – there must be a clear time limit for the duration of the deployment and an identified process of on-going evaluation of the need for the cameras’ continued use in a specific location
Objective – there must be specified objectives to be achieved by the camera deployment and the achievement of these objectives should be monitored

Ashford Monitoring Centre

Ashford Borough Council has a state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring centre, the Ashford Monitoring Centre, which provides remote CCTV monitoring to public spaces.

We currently monitor CCTV town centre cameras in Ashford, Tenterden and Dymchurch.

We have been looking after the people of Ashford for over 25 years and our CCTV system plays a major role in detecting and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as improving the safety and security of residents, visitors and the wider business community.

Alongside the town centre CCTV is the Town Net radio systems for Ashford and Tenterden, which link shops, pubs and clubs, all of which can call us for assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As part of the system we have access to the police radio and can contact Kent Police at a moment’s notice.

Privacy impacts assessments (PIA) have been carried out on all individual public space cameras owned by Ashford Borough Council. You can view the PIAs here.