AS a journalist I a felt a pang of envy when I entered the control room of Wychavon's CCTV network.

There, laid out in front of me, was a wall of monitors relaying live high-resolution footage from the district's town centres. I imagined how much easier the work of a reporter would be with instant access to so much information, recorded and monitored for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, the equipment was not installed to help people like me but to help keep Wychavon safe for residents and reduce the fear of crime.

Support services manager Sheena Jones said that the system was originally installed in response to public demand. "Although Wychavon is a low-crime area, we found that fear of crime was a real issue for people in the area. After discovering this we began to set up the system in 1999 and it has been growing ever since."

There are now 26 cameras in Wychavon with seven in Pershore and 12 in Evesham. Two more cameras are being installed in both towns and Broadway is also due to be linked to the system.

The cameras are also connected to the retail radio network, meaning that shoplifters have very little chance of escaping identification in The Vale. "Also, when shopkeepers are locking up at night they can call us and ask us to keep an eye on them," said Mrs Jones.

It is with police work that the cameras have had most impact, with footage providing vital evidence for police in case after case. One of its most high-profile successes was in tracking the movements of the hijacked lorry after last year's raid on Vale computer company Evesham.com.

"There are some incidents you miss, because that is the nature of the thing," said Mrs Jones. "But we work very closely with the police to keep these to a minimum. You can be sure that any crime hotspots in our town centres are watched very closely - our system acts as the eyes on the ground for the police force."

David Hemming, community safety officer for Wychavon, said that CCTV was a central plank in the fight against crime. "When they are used correctly, as they are in Wychavon, the cameras are an important part of the jigsaw. We are also involved in many other schemes, I think we have introduced as many as 40 in the past year or so."

Some of the other crime reduction projects organised or supported by Wychavon include the introduction of community wardens, mentoring schemes for young people who may be in danger of committing crimes, free security equipment for the elderly to help them feel safer in their own homes and drug education. The council is also working hard to reinvigorate area's neighbourhood watch schemes.

He added that by working with the police, Wychavon had been able to make a real contribution to reducing crime in the district. "People should really think twice before committing any crime in the Wychavon area because they will have a very good chance of being identified by one means or another and brought to justice."