A delegation of senior French MPs visited Hackney this week, to find out how we’re using CCTV to cut crime.

The officials who included French Home Affairs Senateurs and French Embassy Attaches, were on a fact finding trip to the UK, to see how local authorities and the police use CCTV effectively.

Hackney Council has one of the most sophisticated CCTV operations in the country. Partnership working with the police is crucial to the success of the unit and police officers are permanently based at the centre in Stoke Newington.

Last year, CCTV was used in connection with almost 2,700 arrests in Hackney. In July 08 alone, 308 arrests were made and £57,700 worth of stolen vehicles recovered in joint operations with the police. So far in 2008, CCTV operators have alerted police to 3696 incidents across the borough, and responded to a further 8383 incidents where police have alerted CCTV, ranging from suspicious behaviour to robbery and possesion of firearms. CCTV evidence has proved crucial in recent high profile murder, rape and kidnap investigations.

Cllr Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said: “What makes our set-up in Hackney unique is not only the quality of the cameras we use but the way we train our operators to observe body language and always be proactive. CCTV has played a significant role in our achieving the best crime reduction stats in the Met, consistently over the last three years.”

Partnership Chief Inspector Dave Stone, said: "The Council s CCTV system is an invaluable tool in the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour in Hackney. Not only does it assist police in getting to the scene of an incident quickly and identifying possible suspects, it also helps in the prosecution process, making available high-quality images for trial, improving the chances of a successful conviction."

To view the most up to date stats from the CCTV team, go to http://www.hackney.gov.uk/ca-cctv-stats.htm.