More than 30 CCTV cameras will be deployed in the West End to improve the surveillance of potential phone snatchers and drug dealers.
The cameras will provide live images of Leicester Square, Chinatown and Soho – which attract millions of visitors and tourists every year.
Westminster council’s cabinet on Monday night approved the plans, which were first announced in February, to expand its network of spy cameras.
The £500,000-plus investment – part of a wider £2m security upgrade said to be the most significant in almost a decade - is part of the council’s “After Dark” strategy to make central London more attractive later at night for families and tourists.
Live footage from the cameras can be used to target “hotspot” areas for anti-social behaviour and to gather evidence for the Metropolitan police to use against phone snatchers.
The cameras will not be “facial recognition” cameras, which are reportedly being trialled in Croydon.
There are already 100 cameras in the council’s network. This will eventually double to 200 cameras when other parts of Westminster are included.
From this summer, Soho will get 18 cameras as part of a plan supported by Soho Business Alliance.
Leicester Square and Chinatown will receive 14 cameras in an investment supported by the Heart of London Business Alliance.
The cameras are monitored 24/7 from a control room based in Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
Cllr Aicha Less, deputy leader and cabinet member for communities and public protection, said: “Soho, Chinatown and the West End see some of the busiest footfall in the world during peak season.
“We want people to enjoy our fabulous West End but without the misery of mobile phone theft, pick pocketing, watches being stolen or running into aggressive behaviour.
“Our new cameras will be there alongside mobile council cameras already in use to ensure people can enjoy the West End in safety and opportunist criminals find it a harder place to operate.
“With these cameras going up over the summer, we are delivering against the commitments of Westminster after Dark.”
Part of the funding has come from a community infrastructure levy that developers pay the council in return for permission to build new properties.
According to the council, the camera deployment “aims to reduce crime in Soho by installing a network of CCTV cameras to deter, track, and apprehend criminals” and to “identify offenders, gather evidence, and plan effective operations”.
The council believes that lower crime rates will boost business confidence, attract diverse businesses and promote growth in Soho and nearby areas.
It says that Soho “faces high crime rates” affecting businesses, visitors, and residents.
Between July 2023 and July 2024, 55,526 business crimes were reported, but only 2,987 positive outcomes were recorded.
