Cornwall: Cameras deployed at Polzeath in crackdown on beach parties

A large gathering on the beach is captured by an infra-red camera

CCTV cameras have been deployed at a Cornish beach as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

The cameras at Polzeath have an infra-red capability, enabling them to monitor the beach in the dark.

Two cameras have been supplied by the parish council for the use of beach rangers and police, who have two officers on patrol at night.

It follows concerns about the behaviour of young holidaymakers, which last year led to a dispersal order.

Polzeath beach is patrolled by two officers at night

"They are a new way of preventing or detecting anti-social behaviour," senior beach ranger Andy Stewart told BBC News.

"It reached the point at certain times of year when things were going wrong.

"We are doing what we can to mitigate anti-social behaviour and the cameras can assist us with that."

Neither camera was monitored live but footage could later be "interrogated" by rangers and police, he said.

The cameras had led to a number of minor thefts being resolved and a reduction in large-scale gatherings on the beach, Mr Stewart added.

"We do not like the cameras, but they are a necessary evil," he said.

"Sometimes you need to be more intrusive and find out what is going on.

"You cannot be in every place all the time and the cameras have proven their worth in their first two weeks."

Four youngsters were praised for returning to the beach after a large gathering to pick up litter

A large gathering on the beach was filmed last weekend, but a group of four youngsters, Huxley, Jem (aka Batman), Roman and Will, returned to the beach the following morning to pick up litter.

"They arrived at 6am and cleared the beach of bottles and cans before their morning surf, so others can enjoy the beach," said Mr Stewart on Facebook.

"Be like Huxley, Batman, Roman and Will."