A CALL has gone out to people in Pickering to raise cash for Ryedale's security cameras, following a drop in crime in the town centre.

Ryedale councillor Linda Cowling has warned that if residents fail to respond, the crime-busting scheme could "fall flat on its face in a year or two".

Ryedale Cameras in Action (RCIA) has been set up to raise about £20,000 a year for CCTV cameras in the centres of Malton, Norton and Pickering.

Coun Cowling said she had been a sceptic about CCTV, but the latest figures showed a 40 per cent drop in crime in Pickering.

"Obviously it's going to provide a better lifestyle for us in Pickering, so I think we have got to get behind it now and get a fundraising committee together."

She suggested local people, including traders and Neighbourhood Watch Scheme members, could form the group, with help from Pickering Town Council and RCIA.

She was backed by local jeweller, John Paddison, who is secretary of the Pickering Christmas Lights Committee. He said: "Every year we have suffered from vandalism to the bulbs and strips of light. We didn't have any of that this year, which I think is down to the cameras."

Between September 1, and January 27, in Pickering, burglaries of non-dwellings fell 14 per cent, vehicles thefts 50 per cent, thefts from vehicles 65 per cent, and criminal damage 50 per cent.

In Malton, crime fell 11 per cent, burglaries from non-dwellings 30 per cent, vehicle thefts 40 per cent, thefts from vehicles 50 per cent and criminal damage 30 per cent. In Norton, crime fell 30 per cent overall, burglaries from non-dwellings 55 per cent, vehicle thefts 50 per cent, and criminal damage 50 per cent.

The Head of the Malton Division of North Yorkshire Police, Supt Keith Bowskill, said there had been slight increases in assaults in Malton and Pickering, though in Norton assaults fell 75 per cent. Shoplifting had also increased in Malton.

He said Ryedale Cameras in Action hoped local people would play their part in funding CCTV. "I'm sure it will make the three towns much better places to work, live and relax in, and people will hopefully feel able to contribute."

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