CCTV experts at Enfield Council have helped police to make arrests following three serious incidents captured on camera in June.
Staff on duty at the Council’s CCTV operations centre, known as Enfield Public Safety Centre (EPSC) in Edmonton, alerted police to the incidents.
On 1 June, a robbery took place in Enfield Town Park. An EPSC operator scanned the area on camera and witnessed two suspects running towards the bus station who boarded a 231 bus.
The bus was followed on camera to Morrisons car park in Southbury Road with running commentary to police.
An unmarked Armed Response Police Unit monitored the suspects from a distance. Both suspects met with another two unknown men in the car park.
One man was found in possession of a revolver gun and a machete and the other men were found in possession of Class A drugs.
The suspects were arrested, and the vehicle was seized due to drugs being found inside and suspicion the vehicle was connected to other robberies in the borough.
On 10 June, a report was received of a sexual assault in Enfield Town Park. EPSC operators provided a description of the suspect to police over radio, and a sighting was made later that day near Enfield Town Library.
An EPSC operator informed police whose officers were in the surrounding area at the time, who identified the suspect and arrested him in Enfield Town Park.
On 11 June, a report of a group of four juvenile males acting suspiciously in the high street was made. EPSC operators monitored the local area and spotted the possible suspects and sent an image to police.
EPSC operators continued to monitor the suspects as they visited a takeaway on Hertford Road, in Ponders End. One of the suspects saw a police vehicle and ran off immediately.
The officers at the scene detained a suspect on Hertford Road, who was found to be in possession of a knife. He was arrested and taken into custody.
Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Enforcement at Enfield Council, Cllr Gina Needs, said: “I would like to thank hard working staff at the Council’s Enfield Public Safety Centre for their excellent work and expertise in detecting suspected criminals and helping to assist the police in making the streets safer in Enfield.
“The award-winning EPSC staff monitor the borough 24 hours a day and seven days a week to ensure a safer Enfield for everyone.”
The EPSC works collaboratively with the police in their investigations, to enable many arrests, provide vital evidence for trials and prosecutions, and helps to keep Enfield residents and neighbourhoods safe which is a Council priority.
Further information on the work of the EPSC can be found here
Picture - A man is arrested by the police in Southbury Road on suspicion of armed robbery.