COMMUNITY leaders have raised concerns about the effectiveness and cost of a town's security camera system.

Town councillors in Richmond have been told coverage for the next financial year will cost £37,000.

The cost to the town council will be £8,200 -£1,500 more than for this year.

Councillor Linda Curran said: "I'm not anti CCTV -far from it. I would just like it to be giving us more value for money.

"I talk to shopkeepers in the town, for example who have had a window broken, and they say the camera always seems to be pointed the other way. I have been to the control room and the cameras do scan, but there is a huge bank of screen the operators have to watch over."

The council has agreed to pay the cost for the next financial year. However, talks will take place with the district council about future costs.

Coun Russell Lord said: "It seems very expensive for what we get out of it. We will pay this year, then look to negotiate."

But Richmond police have defended the system.

Sergeant Mick Griffiths, from Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership, said: "Overall, I think the CCTV system is of huge benefit.

"It gives excellent service to its customers, the people of Richmondshire.

"People assume CCTV is just of benefit to the police, but it actually benefits the people who are not a victim of crime because it acts as a deterrent; or the people who are a victim, who see the culprit prosecuted because they were caught on camera."

The security camera contract is looked after by the district council, which signed a deal with the Ministry of Defence to monitor the cameras at a control room in Catterick Garrison.

Figures released by police show the cameras helped to catch 11 people in three months.

Operators contacted police about 35 incidents in Richmond from July to the end of September last year.

Fourteen incidents involved violence, three were for drink driving and one involved a person wanted by police