Crime in Colchester town centre has dropped below rates for the rest of the borough for the first time ever.

It used to have the highest crime rate but the number of offences has dropped significantly since the council-run security cameras started rolling.

Crime rates in the town centre are now more than three per cent lower than the rest of the Colchester police division.

In particular vandalism in the town centre has dropped - and is now nine per cent below the level for the whole borough.

The latest figures show a reduction in house break-ins, car crime, criminal damage and cycle theft.

There has been a rise in the number of assaults recorded but this could be because more are being spotted by camera operators who alert the police, where previously late night drunken fights may not have been reported.

Robert Needham, Colchester Council's monitoring services manager, said: "We are delighted with these figures. They show we are working well with Colchester police to reduce nuisance in the town centre.

"We have been concentrating on known trouble spots and have improved our method of communication so outbreaks of vandalism can be dealt with quickly."

Det Chief Insp Roy Fenning, of Colchester police, said: "Colchester Council's CCTV scheme is very effective in helping us combat crime and helps us make a significant number of arrests which are leading to convictions."

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