Thankfully, the London Fire Brigade were quickly on the scene, with six fire engines and forty firefighters bringing the blaze under control.
Anyone who was in the area that day – or watching the evening news – would probably already know that part of the story. What they might not know is the role Lambeth staff, working elsewhere, played in first spotting and then helping to investigate the cause of the fire.
Earlier this week, senior Lambeth Council figures including Cllr Mahamed Hashi, the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, and Chief Executive, Ian Davis, visited a space not many people get to see: the borough’s brand new state of the art CCTV Control Room.
Once past security, they stepped into a truly impressive space — with a wall of screens streaming live footage from every corner of Lambeth.
Tucked away in an unassuming council building, the CCTV team works around the clock, 365 days a year to keep the borough safe, providing vital intelligence to emergency services as they respond to incidents large and small.
Back in July, it was these operators who first raised the alarm. As smoke began to drift from the storage site, they alerted the police and fire brigade immediately. With the emergency response underway, they began reviewing footage for any sign of how the fire had started.
It didn’t take long: a man was seen entering the site with bundles of paper before making a hasty exit, glancing nervously over his shoulder. He was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of arson.
Lambeth has made important investments in its CCTV network and control room in recent years, and that incident was just one example of the difference it’s making. In 2024, the year upgrades were completed, the number of incidents reported rose by 62% – as, thanks to the HD-quality footage, officers can now identify suspects far more easily than before.
During their visit, the Lambeth officials saw those improvements in action, as the team radioed police to the location of a suspect involved in a cashpoint robbery. Later the same day, officers investigating a sexual assault arrived to review footage as part of their enquiries.
Cllr Hashi said: “Our Borough Plan makes clear that everyone has the right to be safe from harm, violence, and crime; and one of its core ambitions is to make Lambeth one of the safest boroughs in London.
“This does not only mean reducing crime, but also reducing the fear of crime by working collectively across Lambeth to keep all our residents safe and secure – in homes and schools, colleges, on streets and public spaces, as well as on public transport.
“Upgrading and improving Lambeth’s network of CCTV cameras plays a vital role in tackling crime and in helping people feel safer in their neighbourhoods and in our town centres. The detail of this arson case, and the wider work we saw on our visit to the CCTV Control Room, shows that this is already paying dividends for the people of Lambeth.”
The CCTV centre is a prime example of the multi-layered partnership working needed in order to tackle some of Lambeth’s biggest challenges. Enforcement and intelligence are one part of the picture, but they sit alongside our broader efforts to make the borough safer for everyone.
Lambeth’s CCTV operation has rolled out more than 40 cameras in areas where women and girls are most likely to experience harassment or sexual assault. This has been paired with practical work on the ground — from ‘Good Night Out’ training for venue security staff, to a network of safe havens offering shelter to anyone who feels unsafe.
Lambeth has big ambitions for the borough’s night-time economy, worth hundreds of millions of pounds each year, and safety is at the heart of that. The CCTV team’s work is a crucial part of making our borough a place where everyone can feel welcome, confident, and secure.
