SHOPKEEPERS in Darlington fear the town's much heralded CCTV system is failing them.

Derek Risbey, who runs Risbey's Photographic in Skinnergate, suffered a smash and grab raid at his shop early yesterday.

It has happened several times before, but despite the presence of a sophisticated CCTV system, he says the culprits are never caught.

Mr Risbey feels the system is reactive, not proactive, and says the cameras are rarely trained on his shop.

He said: "It happens so regularly and they never seem to catch them. The cameras never sweep around and I've voiced this concern to the council. They must have been there a few minutes because they had to get the grilles off, which is not an easy job, then hammer their way through the glass."

He said he had heard similar complaints from his neighbours and added: "I've heard it said they don't have enough staff down there. If that's the case, couldn't they give some consideration to recruiting some volunteers?"

He added: "We've got Big Brother on the TV at the moment, but is Big Brother asleep in Darlington?"

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said he understood Mr Risbey's frustration, but defended the 40-camera system.

He said: "The cameras can zoom and pan, so they give full coverage. And they are manned by two people in the CCTV control room 24 hours a day. Since they were introduced they have helped the police make more than 2,500 arrests."

He added: "Their record in terms of reducing crime and preventing crime over the last seven years speaks for itself, both as a deterrent and for catching criminals."

Detective Sergeant Alec Francis, of Darlington police, said officers responded to an alarm at 3.28am yesterday, and found the burglars had forced the security grille and broken into the shop. Anyone with information should call (01325) 467681.