'Spy in the cab' cameras being tested by Bradford firefighters have scored their first spectacular success.

Odsal fire station is one of just six around West Yorkshire to have the state-of-the-art CCTV system installed in one of its appliances - which has already taught youths on the Bierley estate a lesson.

The cameras secretly record from the moment the crew sets out on an emergency call - the aim is to capture footage of arsonists fleeing the scene of a blaze, and protect firefighters who can suffer harassment.

Already, the £1,000 cameras have succeeded in teaching a lesson to a group of Bierley youths who stole equipment while firefighters put out a blaze in a derelict house.

Allan Jones, station commander at Odsal, said: "We had a piece of equipment stolen while we were dealing with an incident. It was a hydrant key, a three foot long steel bar used to turn a hydrant. We showed a group of lads the camera in the cab and played the video footage to them. It picked some lads out stealing this piece of equipment. We told the youths to find their friends and tell them what they'd seen.

"An hour later, the police came round to the fire station with the piece of equipment -- the lads had asked them to hand it back to us. There's serious implications to stealing equipment - every piece of equipment we use can be life-saving."

Sean Middleton, a police patrol sergeant for the Bierley estate, said: "We support the fire service in using this equipment to reduce crime and combat the fear of crime."

Firefighters in Keighley and Bradford have revealed they were being lured to locations to be met with a barrage of sticks and stones. When they drove off, youngsters were risking their lives by hitching a ride on the back, trying to release the stored water.

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