Increasing the sense of security of shops and their customers need not be a hugely expensive business. In Bingley, for instance, a few thousand pounds should help to buy renewed confidence on the part of local businesses that their premises will not be vandalised or burgled - or, if they are, that the criminals responsible stand a much greater chance of being identified and caught.

The two new "interactive" CCTV cameras being installed in Main Street and due to be manned 24 hours a day are welcome additions to anti-crime measures in a town which has suffered a spate of vandal attacks. Seven shopfronts were recently smashed in one weekend. That is not the sort of level of damage that any small shopping community can sustain for long, given the knock-on effect in terms of soaring premiums as the insurance companies decide the town is a bad risk for them.

The traders are right to feel reassured by the presence of the additional CCTV cameras, a crime-fighting measure which has proved its worth as a deterrent for criminals and an important aid to the police. An interesting innovation are the helpline buttons installed in conjunction to the cameras which will allow people to talk directly with staff in the Bradford control room, who in turn can alert the emergency services.

Many people will rightly consider this to be a poor substitute for having an increased high-profile police presence in Bingley. However, as a compromise measure, the £14,000 cost of putting the two cameras in place should be money well spent.