CRIME on a Darlington council estate has been reduced by almost 40 per cent since closed-circuit security cameras were installed.

Firthmoor became the first estate in the town to have CCTV camera surveillance, when they were switched on last June.

Thirteen cameras are monitoring the estate, funded by the Home Office.

Since they were installed, there has been a 39.9 per cent drop in all types of crime on the Firthmoor estate, according to the latest police figures.

The cameras record continuously and are monitored 24-hours-a-day from Darlington Town Hall by staff at the CCTV headquarters.

Councillor Stephen Harker, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for community protection, said: "This is excellent news.

"Firthmoor was the first residential area in Darlington to benefit from closed-circuit television cameras.

"These results prove it has been a worthwhile investment. The cameras are reducing crime and helping people to feel safer in the streets and their homes."

The Firthmoor Community Partnership Board and police in the area both welcomed the introduction of the CCTV cameras on the estate.

The next area of Darlington to be covered by security cameras will be the streets around Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College and the Arts Centre, in Vane Terrace.

These cameras, in the Stanhope Road and Northgate areas, will be installed later this year at a cost of £120,000.

As well as covering the college and Arts Centre, the cameras will be able to pick up any criminal activity in the residential area of the town centre.

A further £40,000 will be spent on three cameras at High Northgate, covering North Road from the Northgate roundabout to the Morrison's supermarket.

The success of the Firthmoor CCTV scheme follows on from news earlier in the year that a total of 3,000 arrests had been made in Darlington since cameras were first installed in the town.

There are a total of 40 cameras, which produce colour pictures and have the facility to zoom, pan and tilt.

Those working in the CCTV control room also work with organisations, including Crimenet and Pubwatch, to try to co-ordinate the fight against crime.