Mobile CCTV to stop yobs

Mobile CCTV cameras will be put to use in catching drunken yobs in Stourbridge over the party season. Thousands of revellers pack into the town's bars every weekend and even more are expected over Christmas and New Year.

Police in Stourbridge are now taking a hi-tech approach to tackling crime in the town using mini CCTV cameras to catch criminals on tape. The cameras will gather evidence of violent or disorderly behaviour which can then later be used as evidence in court.

Funded by Dudley Community Safety Partnership, the cameras are the latest development in the fight against drink-fuelled anti-social behvaiour in the town. And Inspector Phil Boardman is particularly interested in using the technology to good effect over the festive season.

Other measures will include the night-time closure of Stourbridge High Street to all vehicles except black cabs continuing over Christmas and the New Year.

Philip Tart, Dudley's assistant director for legal and democratic services, said: "This is an excellent example of what the council and the police can achieve by working positively and proactively."

The campaign, called Operation Flent, began last year and has already dramatically reduced disorder, with violent crime cut by 25 per cent in the past 11 months, according to police.

Inspector Phil Boardman, from Stourbridge police, said: "September 2007 saw the lowest recorded incidents of violence for two years within the night economy and nearby communities."

The number of licensed premises has more than doubled in the last few years in Stourbridge High Street.

Police have become so stretched that new laws had to be introduced to curb the amount of new bars opening.