City centre residents have been left "overwhelmed" at the news that CCTV in Glasgow will again be monitored for 24 hours a day.
Glasgow City Council has announced it will expand public space CCTV monitoring seven days a week following a budget decision by the Full Council.
CCTV monitoring was reduced from 24 to 12 hours a day after councillors approved the decision in early 2023 to reduce the number of staff monitoring cameras from 18 to nine with cameras only fully monitored for 12 hours a day.
A council spokesperson said they plan to recruit staff as quickly as possible and have 24-hour monitoring in place by the summer.
Bill Beckett, chair of Garnethill Neighbourhood Watch, previously launched a petition in November last year calling for the council to increase CCTV staffing for "community safety".
He says he is pleased with the the council's decision.
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Bill told the Glasgow Times: "Once I heard about the budget and the fact 24-hour monitoring of CCTV would be reinstated, members of the community got in touch to say they are overwhelmed.
"I posted it on our website and a lot of people are coming forward saying 'brilliant news Bill'.
"Everybody is happy and will hopefully be feeling a bit safer. "
He continued: "A camera may not stop crime, but it's a great tool to identify the incident and who's involved.
"They also assist the prosecution, so on this basis, people are extremely happy."
While the cameras were only monitored for 12 hours a day, they still recorded for 24 hours, with them being left positioned on "priority locations".
GMB Scotland has also said city streets will be safer once 24-hour CCTV monitoring is reintroduced.
The union previously called for the reinstatement of round-the-clock cover and said cuts to the number of staff were "dangerous".
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Ross McArthur, senior GMB representative at the council, says the decision to reinstate CCTV coverage 24 hours a day was welcome but should not have taken so long.
He said: "The decision to monitor cameras for only 12 hours a day needlessly removed a crucial safety net and increased risks on our streets.
"We are glad councillors have finally recognised that.
"The people of Glasgow deserve every possible protection and that includes a network of working CCTV cameras monitored around the clock by trained and expert staff.
"There was never any logic or benefit in removing 24-hour monitoring when our members could raise the alarm immediately then steer the emergency response every hour of every day."
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: A spokesman said: “Following a budget decision by Full Council, we can confirm that public space CCTV monitoring will be expanded to cover 24-hours per day, seven days per week.
"We will move to recruit staff as quickly as possible and will aim to have the new arrangements in place by this summer."
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