THE future of a camera system for catching criminals in Hambleton was secured this week.

Hambleton District Council confirmed at the weekend that it would be taking over the role of monitoring closed-circuit television images, following the withdrawal of North Yorkshire police from the project.

The CCTV control room will be moved from the police base in Racecourse Lane, Northallerton, into the authority's civic centre as soon as possible.

Council chiefs said they were disappointed with the police's decision to pull out, but said the scheme would become even more successful in the future. Hambleton is planning to extend scheme, with the installation of cameras in Stokesley expected to be complete before the end of the year.

Council leader June Imeson said: "We remain disappointed with the police decision to withdraw from primary monitoring of these cameras.

"But our discussions with them are now at an end and we must move forward to ensure the continued success of this scheme. Installing cameras in Stokesley marks our continuing commitment to providing a safe environment for the people of Hambleton."

The council has 41 cameras covering the town centres and car parks in Thirsk and Northallerton. The scheme was first launched in Northallerton in 1995 and expanded to Thirsk three years later, contributing to a significant drop in crime.

Although the authority bore the cost of installing the system, primary monitoring of CCTV images was carried out by police civilian staff, with financial help from the council.

However, after discussions between council leaders and Chief Constable David Kenworthy, North Yorkshire police announced last year it would pull out of the scheme