Declares that all rivers in city centres should have CCTV cameras along their full length within city centres; further declares that local authorities should fund these; and notes that riverbanks should be well lit and filmed by day and night so that interventions can be made if people are near the river to prevent fatalities and so that families can learn what has happened to their loved ones when people go missing or bodies are found in the river.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take immediate action to ensure that all riverbanks in city centres are well lit and have CCTV cameras so that riverbanks are monitored to prevent fatalities and the film is made available to the relevant authorities if people go missing or bodies are found in the river.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Rachael Maskell, Official Report, 16 October 2024; Vol. 754, c. 948 .]
[P003011]
Observations from the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention (Dame Diana Johnson):
The Government extend condolences to the friends and family of Leah Bedford and to those who have lost loved ones on public waterways.
The Government are committed to keeping all members of the public safe and support the appropriate use of technologies such as CCTV to give the public greater confidence about using our public spaces.
The two largest navigation authorities in England and Wales, the Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency, have ongoing proactive public safety campaigns encouraging visitors to their waterways to be careful and safe around the water, using a variety of media, including social media.
Both the Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency undertake public safety risk assessments. This includes determining where on their waterways the provision of public rescue equipment would be most beneficial. This is most often at the busiest locations, places where there have been previous safety incidents, or in other areas of particularly high risk.
Public rescue equipment on regulated inland waterways is also provided by the relevant navigation authority or riparian landowner, often working with local authorities in local water safety partnerships and other safety organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Royal Life Saving Society, and the National Water Safety Forum.
Local authorities have devolved powers and will work with their local communities to carefully consider views and ensure decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect. The majority of funding in the local government finance settlement is not ringfenced in acknowledgment that local areas know best how to prioritise spending within their communities. This includes funding for CCTV cameras.