THE quick actions of eagle-eyed staff scanning Bournemouth’s CCTV cameras led to 58 arrests last month, latest council performance figures have revealed.

Four alleged robbers, 19 suspected kerb-crawlers and three drink-drivers were among those captured on film during October.

Twenty-four public order incidents were reported by staff based in the Bournemouth council monitoring suite at the town’s police station along with 17 assaults, 15 thefts, four drug offences and an indecent exposure in Charminster.

A motor vehicle theft, two assaults on police officers and three breaches of antisocial behaviour orders were caught on camera last month with 125 suspected offenders detected.

The total number of incidents dealt with by Bournemouth police station based CCTV operators during October was 1,025, compared with 889 in the same month last year, with many instigated by requests from the police, Shopwatch and Pubwatch.

Seventy discs were seized by police for evidence during court proceedings with all of the kerb-crawling offences filmed in Boscombe.

Portable cameras were used across the borough to film 105 incidents with 21 arrests for various offences including public order, assault, theft and kerb crawling.

Commenting on the figures, Boscombe West Cllr Chris Wakefield said: “The CCTV operators do an amazing job.

“As well as the cameras acting as a visible deterrent they help police gather evidence and often lead to the prosecution of those who engage in criminal or antisocial acts.

“But, while the cameras have proved they are crucial in fighting crime in Bournemouth and Boscombe, we still rely on members of the public picking up the phone and reporting criminal activity.”