CCTV team adds ears to its eyes in crime fight (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

CCTV team adds ears to its eyes in crime fight

Certificate of Merit award winnersFormerly just the eyes of the town, the CCTV centre in Wootton Bassett has now gained a set of ears thanks to a new digital radio system.

The presentation of the much longed for "airwave radio", worth £1,500, came at the end of an award ceremony to volunteers, police specials and regular officers for their work in foiling a gang of thieves who targeted a cash point in the town.

The radio system will allow CCTV operators to have instant contact with the police.

CCTV centre supervisor Mike Tupman said: "We're very pleased with this and it will improve communications enormously.

"It's basically like a mobile phone and because it's part of the national digital radio network it's virtually impossible to scan."

At Friday's ceremony CCTV volunteers Colin and Valerie McLea were presented with certificates of merit from Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Amanda Evely for their role in catching three men operating a Lebanese Loop.

Mr and Mrs McLea, 61 and 58 respectively, of Keats Close, were praised for their "professionalism and vigilance" in spotting the offenders as they loitered around the HSBC cash point on Station Road on February 25.

Mother-of-two Mrs McLea said: "We spotted them at first because two of them were urinating in the car park and then they went on to the cash point and started behaving strangely."

The couple watched as the men appeared to be using numerous different cards before one of them kicked the machine several times.

"It was then that we called the police because we knew there was something wrong," said former RAF pilot Mr McLea.

Special constable section officer Derek Flexer and special constable Jonathon Pick were first on the scene and arrested the men after a search revealed electronic devices used to clone bank cards.

The two specials, plus regular officers Sgt Andy Fortune, PC Alex Reid, PC Andrew Rymell and PC Andrew Morley, who were all involved in the arrests, received certificates of merit.

The three men have since appeared at Swindon Crown Court where they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and were sentenced to two years in prison. Other police forces are now hoping to interview the men in relation to similar offences in their areas.

At the time of the offence, which was reported on the front page of the Gazette, the men were living in London and had travelled down the M4 specifically to target Wootton Bassett.

Inspector Mark Levitt, of Wootton Bassett Police Station, said: "The reality is that they came to Wootton Bassett a quiet little market town and they got more than they bargained for.

"A similar event that happened in 2003 showed that these type of people can be making in the region of £35,000 a week. Thanks to all those mentioned no one in the town lost a penny that night but it could have been a very different story."

Anyone interested in becoming a CCTV volunteer can call Mike Tupman on (01793) 850222.