THE crime fighting CCTV cameras of the Hambleton district have had a busy three months - with operators helping police make 50 arrests.

They include tracking down a thief who stole from a shop in Stokesley, dealing with anti-social behaviour in Bedale and catching an arsonist in Thirsk.

The 46 permanent cameras in Thirsk, Stokesley, Northallerton and Bedale record images 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

They are actively monitored by Hambleton District Council staff who work closely with North Yorkshire Police to help prevent and detect crimes.

“The camera network across Hambleton is an integral part of the work of the Safer Hambleton Hub to keep our communities safe from harm, crime and anti-social behaviour,” said the co-ordinator of Safer Hambleton, Gina Allen.

“The district council has invested heavily in its CCTV provision and continues to do so to ensure that our residents and visitors can be as safe as possible. It is a vital part of crime reduction and detection.

“The team of trained operators deal with around 130 observation requests, concerns for safety or incidents every month. Many of these are locally resolved with officers able to attend incidents and deal with any concern immediately.

"Other cases are more complex and require operators to piece together information to help officers make an arrest."

She added: "In addition to the routine monitoring, they also carry out retrospective reviews on behalf of the police, trading standards and others. As a result, we are able to produce evidence to assist investigations in 75 per cent of cases reviewed.”

Recent statistics show that cameras in Stokesley tracked down a man who stole electrical equipment on three different visits to a high street shop.

The CCTV operator was able to identify a vehicle the thief drove and passed the details to the police who were able to identify the man. On his arrest he admitted the offences – and was also charged with driving offences.

During routine monitoring of the cameras in Thirsk, an operator saw a man setting fire to two litter bins – and called the fire service. He spotted the culprit watching firefighters deal with the incident, alerted the police who then arrested the man on suspicion of arson.

And over in Bedale when asked to monitor an incident of anti-social behaviour, the operator saw a man smash a shop window and his description and location was passed to the police who were able to arrest him for causing criminal damage.