A push to deter anti-social behaviour in Swindon Borough Council's town centre car parks is underway as work continues on The Big Town Centre Clean-Up.
The two-week clean-up initiative is bringing together residents, community groups, businesses, councillors and council staff over a two-week period of action to improve the appearance, safety and environment of Swindon’s town centre.
To bolster the clean-up programme, which aims to make the town centre cleaner, safer and more welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors, upgraded CCTV systems are now being installed in all council-owned town centre car parks, which will increase the number of cameras from 64 to 139 across Fleming Way, Spring Gardens, Brunel West and Brunel North.
The camera rollout will ensure, for the first time ever, that there is blanket CCTV coverage in the council’s car parks.
Cllr Matt Hinton, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, Safety and Services, said: “The Big Town Centre Clean-Up is about taking practical action to improve people’s experience of the town centre and make it a place everyone can be proud of.
“Increasing CCTV coverage is a visible example of that commitment. By more than doubling the number of cameras in our car parks, we’re improving safety, helping to tackle anti-social behaviour and giving residents greater confidence when they visit the town centre.
“The addition of speaker technology also means our officers can intervene immediately when issues arise, sending a clear message that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.”
The new system includes cameras equipped with speaker technology, allowing council officers to communicate directly with individuals on site and intervene quickly to help deter anti-social behaviour before it escalates.
It also detects when individuals or groups are loitering inside the car parks and sounds a message to let them know they are being monitored.
The biggest improvements have already been delivered at Spring Gardens car park, while camera installation is currently underway at Brunel West. When complete, CCTV coverage will be substantially expanded.
The upgraded cameras form part of the council's wider CCTV network, which is monitored from the CCTV control room.
Council officers oversee approximately 1,400 cameras and have helped to investigate more than 500 incidents so far in 2026 by providing evidence that assists Wiltshire Police in criminal investigations and prosecutions.
Cllr Nick Gardiner, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, who is responsible for the Council’s car parks, said: “Our town centre car parks are used by thousands of residents, workers and visitors every week and play an important role in supporting local businesses and the wider economy.
“These upgrades give us much greater visibility across our car parks and enable officers to respond more proactively to incidents, helping ensure they remain safe, secure and welcoming places to park.”
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