CAMERAS to catch criminals in Bishop's Waltham are to be installed next month.

Planners at Winchester City Council are due to grant planning permission for the three closed-circuit television cameras for the village centre.

Insp Shaun Moore, of Bishop's Waltham police, said he hoped the scheme could be expanded to Wickham.

He hopes the new security measures will stop vandals and criminals moving away from city and town centres and targeting rural communities instead.

"These cameras are going to be an excellent crime prevention tool," he said.

"Crime levels in the village are still relatively low.

"We hope the presence of CCTV cameras will act as a deterrent to potential troublemakers coming into the area."

The cameras are part of a £60,000 scheme and will be linked up and monitored by police officers at Netley.

They will be attached to lamp posts at three locations in the village including the High Street, Basingwell Street car park and one covering the village centre.

A wall surrounding the car park in Basingwell Street is also set to be reduced in height so the cameras will have a clear view of the area.