CCTV operators in the town centre could not believe their eyes just after midnight on August 20 to see a child of about seven riding a scooter in front of the town hall in Victoria Square, St. Helens.

 

Police patrols immediately attend the square while the operator used four different camera to track down the boys movements to guide police to him.  When the patrol caught up with him in North Road they found that he was missing from the Parr area and was immediately returned home.

 

Earlier in the week four  CCTV cameras were used to monitor the movements of a man who was reported to be in possession of drugs near to the Asda store.  CCTV staff, alerted via St. Helens Chamber's  Shop Watch radio link tracked him and altered police. When the officer arrived, the male was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled drug.

 

CCTV staff monitoring the area of Higher Parr Street saw a group of males enter the Co-Op store there.  When the group leave the store, one of them appears to 'show off' to his mates that he has stolen property from the shop.  The operator views the male lift up his football shirt to show his friends that he has a bar of chocolate hidden in the waist band of his shorts. When a Police Community Support Officer attends, the lad admits the theft of a large bar of chocolate and his father reimbursed the shop staff for the cost of the chocolate 

Security staff at the Tesco store use their Shop Watch radio to alert the CCTV team a man in a black Corsa vehicle leaving their store.  The male was described over the radio as being drunk.  The vehicle was observed on camera heading towards the Fingerpost area and Police were alerted.  The vehicle was stopped in Jackson Street where the driver was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive through drink.

Doorstaff at a bar in Henry Street alert CCTV staff to two males running from the premises who were believed to have assaulted a member of staff at the venue.  Cameras pick up on the males running into Waterloo Street where they were seen by the operator to split up.  Fortunately, Police were able to bring in the support of a Police dog which was used to search for the males in the area they were last seen in - one being on the roof of a building -  and both were arrested on suspicion of assault.

 

Security staff at the Asda store ask for assistance in searching for a male who had stolen property from the shop.  Using the Shop Watch radio system, CCTV staff were asked to search for the male who had ran away after being challenged when he dropped £170.00 worth of alcohol.  After only a short time Police patrols arrested the man.