Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner has moved to defend the county's CCTV network after it came under fire from a national pressure group.

The success of the scheme, which cost £2.5 million and was described as 'cutting-edge' at the time of its launch in 2015, has been called into question by the privacy group Big Brother Watch.

The organisation's chief executive, Renate Samson, said there is no proof that the cameras have been successful in preventing crime.

However, Peter McCall has jumped to the defence of the network, describing it as being "crucial" to the police force's work.

Mr McCall told the News & Star: "CCTV is one of those unsung heroes that works well in the background.

"It is difficult to monitor the proactive work that goes on and often footage will be used to support prosecution cases.

"When I am speaking to people in their local communities they tell me that they are reassured by the fact that we still have CCTV in the county, and that this increases their feeling of safety."

He added: "CCTV is an excellent system that supports operational policing.

"It can be used proactively to allow early intervention to happen that will stop a possible crime from happening.

"For example, intervening into an argument on a Saturday night that stops becoming a full scale fight, or reactively following a crime to help the police find a suspect."

Mr McCall said that the system is a crucial part of how the force polices - and that the cameras are not a replacement for officers on the streets.

The scheme was originally proposed by Mr McCall's predecessor, Richard Rhodes, and is centrally monitored by Cumbria Police at the county headquarters in Penrith.

The network consists of more than 50 cameras.

This includes about 15 in Carlisle, three in Penrith, eight in Workington, seven in Whitehaven, and one in Maryport.

CCTV systems in the region were previously run by the local district councils but came under threat due to budget cuts.

Colin Glover, leader of Carlisle City Council, spoke about the value of the crime-busting tool.

He said: "CCTV is a valuable police tool for the detection and prevention of crime and to support officers on the beat.

"It provides the police with early intelligence on developing situations and enables officers to respond quickly to prevent escalation, providing reassurance and helping to keep communities safe."

The system has previously been credited with helping in the arrest of alleged drugs criminals, thieves, robbers and thugs.

Staff monitor it round-the-clock at peak times for trouble, such as weekends, with other trained workers on hand to step in at all other times.

All images are recorded and kept for 30 days, unless stored longer as evidence.