Glasgow's council CCTV cameras could be unmanned for 12 hours a day under a dramatic new cost-cutting plan by the City Council.
Unions claim the move means the system may not be monitored between 4am and 4pm and has been described as potentially dangerous for children.
Details of the plan have largely flown under the radar since they were first unveiled in last month's budget document, when a report described it as a "review of staffing costs aligned to current service delivery" of the Community Safety and Regulatory Services, with the expectation of saving more than £1.5million.
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Despite claiming "no direct significant impact has been identified for protected groups at this stage", the same report goes on to point out "a potential impact on the safety for children" and concerns for detecting and reporting hate crime in Scotland's largest city.
Glasgow City Council currently has 429 fixed public space CCTV cameras across the city as well as 98 traffic cameras and eight re-deployable cameras.
The proposal suggests utilising under pressure police "to provide PSCCTV support" and "effective positioning of cameras at known problem locations".
The document continues: "Further work to assess the level of impact on staff and children will be required if these options are approved, when plans for implementation are more fully developed.
"It will be important to consider workforce profile when considering changes to staffing resource. Further work to assess the level of impact on equality will be required if these options are approved, when plans for implementation are more fully developed and service areas affected have been identified."
Unions have condemned the plan as "shortsighted and unworkable".
A GMB spokesman said: “Glasgow City Council is planning to cut the hours that the CCTV is manned to 4pm till 4am.
"GMB thinks the proposals to cut the hours that CCTV in Glasgow is manned is short sighted, unworkable, and simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny if Glasgow City Council is serious about protecting people.
"GMB would like Glasgow City Council to recruit additional operators, rather than reduce the headcount and hours of operation.”
And UNISON added that they have been "pushing the council for weeks" for further details of the plan.
A Glasgow City branch spokesperson for the union said: "We have been pushing the council for weeks for the detail of how this proposal impacts our members and the service. It certainly looks like a 50 per cent cut in the monitoring of CCTV cameras in the city."
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “The council’s budget for 2023/24 required £50million savings to be made to cover a funding gap for this year.
“We are now reviewing the public space CCTV service as part of the effort to meet this £50million funding gap.
“Public space CCTV will continue to operate round the clock.”
Police Scotland declined to comment at this time.
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