A BOMB scare at a Glasgow bus station has sparked concerns over the city’s limited CCTV coverage, a trade union has warned.
Glasgow City Council cuts – phased in from September last year – have meant security cameras across Glasgow are only monitored for 12 hours a day – between 3pm and 3am.
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Now GMB, which represents CCTV monitoring staff, has said a major response to a suspicious package at Buchanan Bus Station last week highlights the dangers of not having 24-hour cover.
Last Wednesday we told how the area around the travel hub was evacuated and locked down by specialist cops following a “credible” threat over a “suspicious” item.
Staff and students from Glasgow Caledonian University were evacuated and the M8 slip road at Junction 16 was closed while the incident was probed.
There was also disruptions to the Subway and ScotRail services from Glasgow Queen Street.
The extra safety measures were put into force after a bomb squad robot was sent in to probe the package.
Officers later confirmed the item was “innocent in nature” and released three men who had previously been arrested without charge.
John Slaven, GMB organiser at Glasgow City Council, told The Herald on Sunday how last week’s swoop should highlight that emergencies can happen between 3am to 3pm too.
He said: “It should not take a potential disaster to convince the council to reinstate 24-hour cover.
“It might be nice to believe nothing bad can happen in daylight but that doesn’t make it true.
“Emergencies happen between 3am and 3pm too and the city should be ready.
“We will never know if the response on Wednesday would have been quicker, better coordinated and more effective if the cameras had been monitored.
“We do know the potential benefit of experienced staff monitoring cameras around the clock far outweighs any potential saving.”
The cuts come as part of a £50million savings drive by the council.
Though the cameras still record while they are unmonitored, they remain in a fixed position.
Council bosses said their camera network do cover the area within the bus station and maintain they have the “widest prevalence” of CCTV in the UK.
But a Freedom of Information request by GMB showed the highest numbers of cameras out of action by area.
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In Baillieston, eight out of 15 cameras – more than half – are not working.
In the East Centre ward only six of the 18 cameras were functioning; while in Govan only 31 of 43 cameras were working.
In Pollokshields, where communities were disrupted by Bonfire Night chamos, nearly 20 per cent of cameras are not working.
The union said they have now approached every city councillor with the figures, urging them to restore 24-hour monitoring and issued repair notices to the faulty camera.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Our public space CCTV system does not provide coverage within Buchanan St Bus Station, where the alleged incident on Wednesday is said to have taken place.
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“Cameras in the vicinity of the bus station which we control were used by our traffic team to help relieve traffic congestion in the area at the time of the alleged incident.
“Glasgow continues to have the widest prevalence of CCTV cameras of any city in the UK.”
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