Frightened people who believe they are being followed or in danger could soon get help at the touch of a button.

The buttons on the masts holding closed circuit television cameras would put the victim in touch with a control centre being set up in Britannia House.

The camera would zoom down on the caller, who would be able to talk to the operators through a special link.

Bradford Council's community safety officer, Sharmilla Ghandi, said: "We hope to introduce them in car parks soon and believe they will be a real help to people who are in fear of crime."

And, in a second innovative scheme, a safe place may be provided in the city centre where people could lock themselves in and summon help.

The city's Crime and Disorder Partnership - made up of the Council, police and other organisations - is stepping up its campaign to keep people safe after winning a bid to the Home Office for almost £1 million.

The grant will enable it to provide 22 more CCTV cameras and set up a state-of-the-art nerve centre in Britannia House.

The centre will be manned for 24 hours a day. Staff recruitment has begun and the centre is expected to open next spring.

Bradford Council's community safety spokesman, Councillor John Ruding, said it would not need planning permission and work was about to start to fit it out.

He said: "It will mean that trained controllers can see what is happening as cameras feed into the centre."

The partnership is now looking for funding for the push button help points and is likely to ask businesses for sponsorship

The bid for Government cash followed an independent survey pinpointing areas which would benefit from the camera.

The existing city centre CCTV system was one of the first in the country when it was installed nine years ago but is now badly out-of-date.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.