A man has been arrested on suspicion of selling counterfeit goods in Wem after the town’s CCTV system picked up suspicious activity.

The man is reported to have been trying to sell counterfeit DVDs in the town, and is now at the centre of a joint investigation by police and trading standards.

He was arrested on Tuesday and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Sergeant Julian Hinds, from Wem Police, said the new CCTV system was proving to be a valuable tool to assist police in catching criminals and determining crimes.

“The system has been up and running for about three months now with nine cameras around the town that record 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

“Work to have three more cameras installed is ongoing and the system lets us view incidents live as they happen and respond accordingly, as well as being important evidence further down the line. Wem Police have a live link and are able to control the cameras to obtain the best evidence.

“Steve Loveridge, our counter clerk, has equipment in the station which lets him quickly monitor situations as they happen and is invaluable to officers on the ground.”

Sergeant Hinds said the CCTV system had already enabled police to identify and reprimand two nuisance drivers, and assured people in the town police would now be able to use the system for other types of crime.

“One example of success we have had so far was the issuing of Section 59 notices to two young males, after they were spotted using their vehicles in an anti-social manner. ”

Footage from the CCTV is archived so can be retrieved and viewed at a later date if an incident is reported some time after it occurred.