POLICE are backing plans to have security cameras watching over the streets of Ilkley town centre.

Ilkley Police hopes to arrange meetings with a number of agencies and organisations over the possibility of bringing CCTV cameras to Ilkley streets, and Ilkley Parish Council is to debate the idea at its next Finance and General Purposes meeting.

Sgt Esther Hobbs, of Ilkley Police, said that in addition to city centres, many other areas, including Shipley and Bingley, now have CCTV - which could lead to criminals targeting towns which are still without the cameras.

But unlike some city-centre CCTV systems, which are monitored by control centre staff 24 hours a day, the Ilkley cameras would simply record footage. Sgt Hobbs said the video could be played back and searched for evidence if a crime occurred in the area.

Councillor Mike Lynes told Monday's parish council meeting that footage captured on one of the cameras he fitted to his shop was instrumental in helping police track down one crime suspect.

Sgt Hobbs said: "It would be a deterrent. The type of CCTV they have in Bradford is staffed and monitored continually, and that quite often can be the bugbear, because that's a long-term financial commitment. Ours would be a one-payment scheme, but we wouldn't have to monitor it."

She said she had no statistics to demonstrate the reassurance given to members of the public by such security cameras, but believed people may feel safer knowing that any criminal would run the risk of being caught on camera.

Sgt Hobbs said the CCTV idea is still at an early stage.

Cameras are already in use around Ilkley Railway Station.