Residents have voiced concerns that criminals driven out of Leeds city centre could now be targeting the Wharfe Valley and Aireborough.

Increased levels of car crime in the Weetwood police division, thought to be caused by thieves forced out of Leeds by closed circuit television cameras, have given fresh impetus to a five-year campaign for Yeadon to receive a CCTV crime deterrent system of its own.

Figures released at this week's Aireborough, Horsforth and Otley Police Community Forum show that the number of motor vehicles reported stolen in the Yeadon and Rawdon area between April to December 1998 was 46 - double the number stolen in 1997.

The number of thefts from motor vehicles in Yeadon and Rawdon also increased from 247 between April and December 1997 to 274 in the same period a year later.

Weetwood Crime Prevention Panel member Geoff Streets has now called on local community groups to lobby Leeds City Council for funds to establish a system for Yeadon High Street.

Mr Streets claims that a £30,000 community improvement fund set aside for Yeadon CCTV was diverted to other causes after the City Council's priorities changed.

He said: "The system is not expensive - it's the maintenance and security. We have had funding for schemes for large areas in Yeadon but we have been told by the Council that even if we get hold of the funding, it would not promote closed circuit television cameras in Yeadon High Street.

"I'm hopeful that community groups will put pressure on the Council and make some in-roads on this.

"Crime is increasing. The town hall has been vandalised regularly and crime has affected businesses and traders in the area."

A spokesman for Leeds City Council said that Yeadon was not considered a priority area for its own CCTV system.

"The Council does not have a budget for CCTV development in town centres, whether in Yeadon or any other town in the district," he said.

"We would give our backing to any scheme put forward by the Weetwood Crime Prevention Panel if it met our criteria for CCTV development by clearly identifying the specific crime problem and solution, containing satisfactory proposals on installation, monitoring and maintenance."

Aireborough Crime Prevention Officer Neil Pearson said: "Where CCTV has been shown to be an effective deterrent and also an aid to crime prevention, the police would always support a scheme but the problem is where the money is going to come from."

The numbers of burglaries reported in the area dropped from 257 to 160 while the number of drugs-related incidents more than halved from 60 to 27.

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