EFFORTS are being made to have security cameras installed in Otley. Currently, Otley's crime figures are relatively low compared to places like Horsforth where burglary, robbery and vandalism are fairly commonplace.

Horsforth, which doesn't have a police station like Otley, is shortly to get security cameras installed as part of a Home Office scheme covering the whole of Leeds. But what some in Otley fear is that this will push criminals to softer targets where security cameras have not been installed.

They argue that Otley's crime rate will soar and incidences of vandalism, as suffered by one of the town's businessmen this week, will become ever more common.

Unfortunately, the Government scheme that made Horsforth's CCTV scheme possible has now come to an end. It means that the cash needed to pay for the cameras will have to come from another source.

It may just be that the Market Towns Initiative, of which Otley is part, could be a lever to get the money.

Whether CCTV actually works as a deterrent or not is probably debatable, but it clearly gives police the evidence they need to catch criminals. It also goes a long way to giving business people confidence in that the area is safe - if anything should happen.

Both the Chamber of Trade and Townwatch in Otley are pressing for CCTV. They're not talking about a massive scheme with cameras on every street, just a few at major junctions in the town.

Whatever makes Otley a relatively low crime rate town will be down to a number of factors - the number of criminals living in the town, accessibility to fast roads, and whether people are actually reporting crime. The number of Neighbourhood Watch schemes will also have a bearing

It remains to be seen whether criminals will descend on Otley after cameras are installed in Horsforth - whatever, Otley certainly does not need business people losing confidence in the town's security.