QUESTIONS have been raised over the effectiveness of CCTV in Cirencester, after three young people were arrested for firing an air rifle out of a window last year.

The need for an updated and effective system was highlighted when the three local youths were arrested in December last year.

Cotswold District Council (CDC) handed over the operation and funding of the town’s CCTV system to Cirencester Town Council on the condition that they funded a major upgrade.

It is believed a six figure sum was paid by the town council for the upgrade but the CCTV system can only provide still images when a crime has been committed. It cannot do what the old system could do - provide information of a crime being committed in real time.

Commenting on the situation MP for the Cotswolds Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: "I was present at the opening of the old system, which was then absolute state of the art technology in the fight against crime.

"I think the public will be dismayed that with all the advances in technology we have today an inferior system all these years later after the original one was installed."

Tony Curry, the prospective CDC candidate for Abbey Ward said: "I was shocked to hear of this situation today. When I was on council, the CCTV was a constant concern in the town.

"The Lib Dems wanted to take over the system and spent a large sum of money doing so and now we find the current system is not as good as the previous one. We have a lot of work to do."