MOBILE CCTV vehicles are about to go on patrol on the streets of Tidworth and Ludgershall.

This is a new initiative for Wiltshire, and is being piloted in Kennet district, although other parts of the country have already experienced great success with mobile CCTV in areas where fixed cameras have not been installed.

Funding for the initiative having been provided by the Wiltshire Constab-ulary, Kennet Community Safety Partnership and the Home Office.

Each Mercedes Vito van will carry the normal police livery and will display yellow 'mobile CCTV' signs.

They will be equipped with a front mounted camera, together with a pan, tilt-and-zoom roof-mounted camera at the rear.

All video footage is captured on a vehicle mounted video recorder, which will be of a quality to enable video evidence to be used in court.

They will primarily be used in Marlborough, Devizes, Tidworth, Pewsey and Ludgershall, but can equally be used anywhere.

As well as helping to convict offenders the partnership believes the vehicle will act as a deterrent to those who commit offences of anti-social behaviour, drunkenness and violence in the towns and villages.