KENDAL traders fear one of their most valuable crime-busting weapons would be undermined if monitoring of the town's CCTV screens is moved to Penrith.

Business people, who stumped up more than £33,000 to install the 12 cameras in 1997, claim the move would be a retrograde step, which could hamper the effectiveness of the high-tech system.

Angry at the "appalling" proposals, they are now calling for monitoring to be kept in Kendal.

Police area commander for South Cumbria Superintendent Colin Mather appealed to South Lakeland District Council for cash to keep local monitoring.

He said CCTV was "one of the best tools" they had for policing towns.

"I think there will be a satisfactory level of service provided through headquarters, but I think there will be a better level of service provided through local monitoring," he said.

Supt Mather, who said he was speaking on behalf of the Kendal Community Safety Partnership, told the Gazette that other local authorities, including those in Carlisle and Barrow, paid civilian staff to monitor the screens.

He stressed that the screens did not belong to the police, although over the last 11 months, CCTV had been used proactively in 122 incidents handled by officers in Kendal.

Currently four CCTV screens are monitored casually at Kendal Police Station control room by officers who use them proactively, to head off problems they spot in the town, and to gather video evidence for prosecutions.

Under the changes, new screens would be provided at Penrith and the same level of monitoring would continue.

Some traders and South Lakeland district councillors have already expressed surprise and disappointment at the current level of service, claiming they were promised dedicated monitoring of the screens.

Town centre manager Maria Appleton said retail forum and chamber of trade members were worried the town's radio link and safe child schemes could be hit.

The police use the radio link to alert traders to potential shoplifters or trouble, often after the problem is spotted on CCTV.

However, the radio link, which is also used when children become lost, would not reach as far as Penrith.

"People are concerned because it's something that the whole town fought hard for and now, because of police restructuring, it's basically going to be taken away from us," she said.

The retail forum favoured moving the CCTV screens into the Westmorland Shopping Centre where they could be monitored during the day.

This would cost £10,000 initially, then £15,000 a year for an extra staff member.

Sandra and Glyn Wright, of Wrights Newsagents in Kirkland, who put £300 into the CCTV scheme, believe local knowledge would be lost through the move.

Managing director of Briggs & Shoe Mines Tom Powney said shoplifting from his business had fallen by 75 per cent since CCTV was installed, and they had caught and prosecuted shoplifters using the system.

Mr Powney, who contributed £1,000 to the CCTV fund, said: "Ultimately it will come down to Kendal to fund the scheme forward because there's no way Cumbria police will change policy over something like this, because they have not got the money to do it."

Manager of Westmorland Shopping Centre Lynn Ison said they would be willing to accommodate the screens in the centre, and hoped the system could be improved to include more proactive monitoring.

Before the installation of CCTV, Kendal had been known as an easy target by gangs of professional thieves, she said.

"As one of the funders, and knowing of the benefits of CCTV, I was absolutely appalled to hear that we may be losing the monitoring from Kendal."

The changes to the town's closed circuit television system are a result of a move by Cumbria police to open a centralised call handling and dispatch centre at their Penrith headquarters, which would absorb the Kendal police station control room, releasing six officers for other duties.

Eventually, the Penrith HQ will also monitor the four CCTV cameras in Appleby, three in Kirkby Stephen, and the ten cameras in Penrith itself, as well as those from Kendal.

Ulverston is due to have nine cameras installed in November, but the pictures are to be monitored by civilian staff in a dedicated room at Barrow Police Station, along with Barrow's screens.

Cumbria police press officer Mike Smith said new technology meant there should not be a deterioration in service.

Members of SLDC's policy and resources committee have deferred a decision about CCTV's future until their meeting next month.

l South Lakeland district councillor for Kirkby Lonsdale, Coun Barclay Stainton, carried out a survey in the town earlier this year, following requests from residents for CCTV monitoring.

Ninety-three per cent of the 306 respondents were in support of cameras.

However, parish councillors oppose the scheme because of fears it would drive troublemakers to quieter areas.