CAMERAS in Accrington town centre have shifted crime into outlying towns, a leading Hyndburn magistrate has claimed.

But police chief Malcolm Rawcliffe said there was no evidence of Accrington centre problems being displaced to Rishton, Clayton-le-Moors or Great Harwood.

JP Roy Gaskell, deputy chairman of the Hyndburn bench, said he welcomed the dramatic drop in town centre crime since the introduction of CCTV. But he added: "Since this has gone down crime in Rishton, Great Harwood and Clayton-le-Moors has gone up. It is my contention there is a displacement."

Superintendent Rawcliffe said CCTV was brought in to tackle specific categories of crime, including public order incidents, stealing from cars and theft of vehicles.

He told Hyndburn police and community forum: "I have to say there is an increase in some areas.

"But there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever of any of these type of offences having been displaced to these three peripheral towns. "The Hyndburn Partnership has spent a great deal of money on CCTV and a system of patrols by community safety wardens.

"They and I would be very disappointed if it had simply moved the crime from that area to another," he added.

In response to concern, however, they would be producing monthly crime figures for areas beyond CCTV, as well as for the town centre.

Last month, Accrington town centre crime was down almost 40 per cent compared to May last year.

Superintendent Rawcliffe said: "There were a total of 59 crimes in the town centre in the month of May and for a big town that is an outstanding figure."

There was evidence to suggest that certain groups of criminals, particularly shoplifters, had decided to stay away or clear off when they saw the security systems, he added.

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