THE ring of steel around Bury town centre has been tightened as a bold crimefighting initiative well and truly comes into focus.

Now shoppers and workers, together with commuters using the nearby Bury Interchange, have 74 reasons to feel safe.

That is the total number of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras which are now operational in and around the town centre.

The "spy" equipment has brought a new dimension in security and covers a wide and intensely busy area, virtually stretching from Angouleme Way to Peel Way and embracing the popular Mill Gate centre, bus and Metrolink station.

In 1995, the seeds were sown for the ambitious scheme when the town was awarded an £80,000 Home Office grant towards the installation of 85 CCTV cameras, costing a total of £440,000.

In Bury, the surveillance equipment embraces three different systems, involving Bury Council, Mill Gate landlords MEPC and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE).

Together, under the umbrella of the Bury Metro Crime Prevention Strategy Group, they successfully bid for the Government grant.

A breakdown discloses 22 cameras are up and running in and around Bury Interchange, another 25 covering the shopping centre together with 27 local authority cameras focusing on local streets and car parks.

This week Bury mayor, Councillor Roy Walker visited the busy operational room in the Mill Gate centre where staff monitor the equipment 24 hours a day.

Late last year, in the latest phase of the scheme, 25 new cameras were established in and around the town centre, including The Rock.

Accompanying the mayor during his visit were representatives from Bury Council and Bury police. Chief Inspector David Bleackley said: "Thanks to these cameras, it means we more or less can cover anything between Peel Way and Angouleme Way. It isn't quite 100 per cent, but not far from it."

He stressed: "I hope it will have the same effect as it has had in Newcastle where similar cameras have brought about a major reduction in crime.

"It's important the equipment in Bury is given as much publicity as possible so we can deter the bad guys from coming here."

Bury police, through community safety officer Sergeant John Leach, originally played an important and influential role in providing advice as to where the cameras should be positioned.

With 74 cameras now in place, there is the ability to add more if required in the future.

Mr Colin Nichol, newly-appointed manager of the Mill Gate centre, said: "We are proud to be associated with the partnership which has brought about the installation of a first class CCTV system and believe it to be another step in maintaining the vitality of Bury as a major shopping destination."

The man in charge of the monitoring is Mr Alan Taylor, operations manager for Mill Gate. He said: "Apart from the town centre shops and car parks themselves, the cameras also cover outside areas, local streets and the bus and rail station.

"The whole system is being monitored 24 hours a day and all the new cameras are virtually fully operational at the moment."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.