I am, of course, all in favour of greater transparency and increased public access to information.

There are, therefore, clear attractions in the idea of holding the police to account via the Government's new crime mapping website.

In the internet age, we must maximise the use of technology to make public services more accountable and efficient.

But it has to be more than a technical gimmick - it has to have an end result.

The theory is laudable: transfer accountability from Whitehall bureaucrats to ordinary citizens.

But I remain pessimistic that the crime mapping website will go on to prove its worth by making our streets safer.

To start with, there were the inevitable teething problems in the system on its first day in operation today.

Apparently, there was not a single incident of anti-social behaviour in Darlington town centre during December. Er, I don't think so.

There has to be trust in the technology for it to have any real value.

And, apart from that, there are still questions in my mind about who will actually use the website after the initial rush of curiosity.

Will people regularly check to see what crimes have been committed in their street, then apply pressure on local police chiefs to up their game?

Cynical, I know, but I'm really struggling to be convinced.