(1)Without prejudice to any power which they may exercise for those purposes under any other enactment, a local authority may take such of the following steps as they consider will, in relation to their area, promote the prevention of crime or the welfare of the victims of crime—
(a)providing apparatus for recording visual images of events occurring on any land in their area;
(b)providing within their area a telecommunications system which, under Part II of the [1984 c. 12.] Telecommunications Act 1984, may be run without a licence;
(c)arranging for the provision of any other description of telecommunications system within their area or between any land in their area and any building occupied by a public authority.
(2)Any power to provide, or to arrange for the provision of, any apparatus includes power to maintain, or operate, or, as the case may be, to arrange for the maintenance or operation of, that apparatus.
(3)Before taking such a step under this section, a local authority shall consult the chief officer of police for the police area in which the step is to be taken.
(4)In this section—
“chief officer of police”, in relation to a police area in Scotland, means the chief constable of a police force maintained for that area;
“local authority”—
in England, means a county council or district council;
in Wales, means a county council or county borough council; and
in Scotland, has the meaning given by section 235(1) of the [1973 c. 65.] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973; and
“telecommunications system” has the meaning given in section 4 of the [1984 c. 12.] Telecommunications Act 1984 and “licence” means a licence under section 7 of that Act.
(5)Until 1st April 1996, in this section “local authority” means, in Wales, a county council or district council.