Three closed circuit television systems designed to reduce city centre crime are to be installed in Bradford thanks to a £750,000 funding package from the Home Office.

The money will be spent on cameras and communication systems for the Little Germany Urban Village and in regeneration areas managed by Bradford Trident and Royds Community Association.

The money has come from the Home Office's Crime Reduction Fund and is on top of £1 million brought in from the same fund last year to pay for the expansion of the CCTV scheme and a new control room.

The funding bid for one set of cameras was made by the Bradford District Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and will provide nine cameras in Little Germany worth more than £181,000. These cameras will cover the majority of streets in the Urban Village.

The £329,600 Bradford Trident scheme will involve setting up 22 systems in the Little Horton area covering the Marshfield, Park Lane and West Bowling areas.

These two schemes will be linked to the city centre control room which is due to open later this year.

A network of cameras is also to be set up covering key public areas in Buttershaw, Delph Hill and Woodside. This £250,000 scheme will provide cover for the Royds Healthy Living Centre in Buttershaw, Woodside Community Centre, the Delph Hill Centre, Buttershaw Retail Park and the Royds Learning and Enterprise Park, to be based on the Buttershaw estate.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said: "Closed circuit television helps people to feel a lot safer and has a good track record in preventing crime.

"I am delighted that Bradford can now offer a co-ordinated CCTV system which covers large parts of the city centre and some residential areas."

Detective Chief Superintendent Geoff Dodd said: "The installation of these cameras will assist in the reduction of offences and will reduce crime as there won't be as many safe areas for people to commit offences."

Gillian Mayfield, the Council's acting community safety policy officer, is hoping the surveillance equipment is installed as soon as possible.

She said: "We are hoping that the equipment is fully in place by this time next year. They should all be installed within a year of the funding being granted."

Det Supt Dodd added: "This is another example of the police working in partnership with our agencies to make Bradford a safer city."

The Council is also working with Metro to apply for funding for additional cameras to be set up outside the city's transport Interchange. A decision on the scheme is expected by the end of the month.