§ 22. Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of CCTV in Chelmsford on the level of crime; and if he will make a statement. [121553]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeEssex Police crime statistics show a 7 per cent. reduction in recorded crime in Chelmsford Town Centre since the Closed Circuit Television system became operational in January 1996. The true reduction is greater, as the figures are affected by a statistical change in 1998 in the method of recording violent crime. There have been 1,012 arrests directly attributable to CCTV, mainly for theft and public order offences.