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Going mobile is the way to maximise use of closed circuit television cameras to help deal with enforcement issues such as fly-tipping around Calderdale, councillors heard.

Calderdale Council uses a mix of fixed and mobile cameras to help enforcement work on a range of issues from rubbish being dumped in the countryside to anti-social behaviour in local communities, with the latter cheaper and offering the ability to be deployed quickly.

Quality needs to be high and a fixed camera costs around £35,000 to install where as the mobile equivalent costs are around £8,000 to £9,000, the council’s Place Scrutiny Board – sitting as a crime panel – heard.

Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Coun Jenny Lynn (Lab, Park) said an improved, new online approach to reporting incidents like fly-tipping had been positive, successful enough to try similar for gulley cleaning.

Safety officers followed a three-step prioritisation for work – which actions would prevent greatest degree of harm, was the reporting person vulnerable and local priorities.

Councillors Tina Benton (Con, Brighouse), Joe Thompson (Lab, Town) and Peter Caffrey (Con, Northowram and Shelf) all reported on time they spent with teams in action, including at hot sports and in the CCTV suite.

Safety partnership head Derek Benn said he wanted to reassure the public action was taken on reported fly-tipping issues, although procedures were different for council and privately-owned land with differing clear-up times.

Answering Coun Audrey Smith’s (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) question about the team’s work 24/7, Mr Benn said they were also increasingly becoming involved in investigations undertaken with partners such as the police.

A Calderdale Council community safety Warden inspects rubbish at a fly tipping hot spot in Halifax on an anti-social behaviour enforcement patrol.

Coun Smith asked about cost/benefit analysis of this – Mr Benn said by taking on certain nuisance types from Environmental Health officers, it freed them up to spend more time, for example, on food hygiene and housing inspections.

Board Chair Coun Regan Dickenson (Con, Rastrick) said an area of enforcement members should look into was private rented housing – it was easier to hold public housing bodies to account.

“There’s a feeling people are afraid to report things to landlords through fear of eviction.

“Clearly it’s one we need to investigate further,” he said.

Alternately instead of approaching the council people were consulting Citizens’ Advice.

How mobile CCTV cameras can help in fight against fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour around Calderdale