Wherever you walk these days there seems to be a CCTV camera looking in your direction, but whether you hate them or not, they have proved extremely effective in tracking down criminals, resulting in prosecutions and helping make safer cities and towns.

Brought in 12 years ago, Chichester district's system is no exception and has helped the area achieve the Safer Parking Award in six city-centre car parks thanks to low levels of vehicle crime.

Initially cameras were established in the city centre and most of its car parks but the system has since been expanded to include Midhurst, Petworth, Selsey, East Wittering and Bosham and extra cameras have been installed in Chichester.

The system now operates a total of 72 cameras, which can also be monitored by Sussex Police.

Operated from a base in the centre of Chichester, the monitoring room
operates 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

The equipment is state-of-the-art and in 2006 was updated to a digital system which provides better-quality images.

Since their introduction the cameras have certainly had an impact on the level of vehicle crime.

In 1995, before the cameras were introduced, there were 124 reported vehicle thefts, compared with 26 in 2004-2005, 22 in 2005-2006 and just 15 in 2006-2007.

One of the staff members involved with running the CCTV control centre said cameras were now an important and essential part of fighting crime.
But he said the system relied on working with other agencies as well.

"I think we are making a positive contribution to a reduction of crime, but it's not just us. It's a partnership between us, the patrolling officers and police which has helped."

As well as the police and the council, the system also relies on information from other groups such as the ChiBac (Chichester Businesses Against Crime) scheme, which has 89 members, and Pubwatch, which has 22 members.

Both these groups have radios which can be used to contact the police and also the operators at the CCTV control centre.

If a theft has taken place then a store manager or landlord can contact the centre and ask the operators to monitor a suspect until a police officer arrives on the scene.

This close-working partnership has been very successful.

Between 2006 and 2007 a total of 976 situations were monitored by the control room.

Since ChiBAC and Pubwatch started liaising with operators two years ago, there has been a 43 per cent reduction in the number of incidents: 636 in 2004-2005 and 272 in 2006-2007.

The staff who operate the cameras have years of experience and are experts in their field.

They look at hundreds of images each day, and from training and experience know when something doesn't look right.

One of the operators, who can't be named for safety reasons, said: "You know when someone has been up to something they shouldn't have.

"It'sthe way they look, the way they move – they just look suspicious.
"When we started there were problems with kids buying alcohol from off-licences and the police would ask us to monitor what was going on and that seems to have eased off now."

If operators see something amiss, they can monitor what is happening and immediately contact police.

Police can also contact the operators and ask them to follow a suspect if they believe something illegal has happened or is about to take place.

Cameras are placed in strategic locations so that an incident can be followed, and all footage is recorded and kept for 28 days.

Having kept watch over the district for the past decade, the operators have seen some bizarre things such as a horse-drawn carriage which was being ridden at speed through Chichester city centre.

Operators once spotted several youngsters walking through the city with handguns in their rucksacks. As they got to the Cross, police officers swooped and seized the guns, but it turned out they were in a school play.

On another occasion, two youths were seen acting suspiciously. They were stopped and after being searched had 46 eggs they were carrying confiscated.

In another incident, more than 50 youngsters who had turned up for a fight were dispersed after being spotted on CCTV.

The staff who operate the cameras believe they are an important part of modern life and value the job they do.

"We do an incredibly important thing for the district and I think we are helping people to feel safer," said one of the operators.

"We find the camera doesn't lie.

"If someone has done something, it's there on the tape. At the end of the day it saves a lot of money from people going to court.

"I hope that by doing what we're doing, people walking about in the city feel it's a safer place to be."