Oswestry CCTV one of 'best in Britain'

A bank of high-tech cameras and dedicated volunteers has seen Oswestry's CCTV system hailed as one of the most effective in the country.

The system, which was funded by Oswestry Town Council and West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner Bill Longmore, has been in operation for almost 15 years.

Since the first cameras were installed in 2001 there have been more than 10,000 incidents that have resulted in more than 2,500 arrests.

And its success has been recognised by the National Association of Local Councils, which named it the best special project in the country at its awards earlier this year.

Oswestry's mayor, Councillor Peter Cherrington, said: "Our CCTV system has been tremendously successful and we had a presentation from the police about it recently when they showed us how the CCTV operators had been able to direct police to catch the criminals in the act.

"That's just one example of how successful the system has been. It is tremendous asset for Oswestry and helps to make the town a safer place in which to live, work and visit, whether in the daytime or in the evening."

The first 11 closed-circuit television cameras were installed with £112,000 funding from Oswestry Town Council in 2001.

A year later more cameras were installed in Gobowen.

The entire system was upgraded last year with new cameras and an improved control room at a cost of £68,000.

It is staffed entirely by volunteers based in Oswestry's police station, and is recognised as one of the best volunteer-run systems in Britain.

When the upgraded system was launched, Superintendent James Tozer of West Mercia Police described it as "the best volunteer scheme in West Mercia".

But just two years ago the future of the system was in doubt.

With the system 13 years old and in desperate need of renewal, West Mercia Police withdrew the funding for the project's volunteer coordinator and Shropshire Council announced it could no longer afford its contribution of £10,500 towards the service's annual £22,275 costs.

Oswestry Town Council, which covered the rest of the costs, appealed for help from local businesses to sponsor the system, and an appeal was made by then-Councillor Martin Bennett for the PCC to "put his money where his priorities are".

While help from the business community was slow to materialise, the PCC agreed to help cover the costs of upgrading the system - with the added bonus that running costs of the new system are almost £5,000 a year less.

And with new volunteers coming forward to monitor the footage, the system is now stronger than ever before with praise continuing to flow in from police, councils and national bodies such as NALC.

Last year, Bridgnorth's CCTV system received a £40,000 upgrade, with 17 cameras now monitoring the town.