VIOLENT and sexual crime perpetrators in Aberystwyth are less likely to be caught and incidents have nearly doubled in the town since CCTV cameras were turned off, the Cambrian News can reveal.

The figures, gathered from official police data by the Cambrian News, show that offenders are less likely to face justice now than back in 2013 for violent and sexual crimes, despite many more incidents being reported.

For the first seven months of this year there have been 134 recorded instances of violence and sexual assaults in Aberystwyth. For the same period between January and July in 2013 when the town’s CCTV system was in operation the number was nearly half - recorded by official police figures at 76.

Cllr Ceredig Davies, who has called for the CCTV cameras in the town to be switched back on, said: “Aberystwyth is a safe place and a great place to live, but unfortunately we do occasionally experience incidences that impact negatively on our community.

“A CCTV system is seen by many in the town as a tool in discouraging and identifying perpetrators, this view was reinforced by the number of occasions when video footage was used as court evidence.

“With the county council having switched off the cameras and the crime commissioner adamant that he would not be commissioning a new CCTV system, it is evident Aberystwyth will be without a system for some time to come.”

In well over half the cases for which a police update on the investigation was available from the first seven months of 2013, police in some way brought an identified suspect to justice.

Three people were sent to prison, three fined, four received a community sentence, 17 were cautioned, three had a conditional discharge, while two were found not guilty in court. Just two cases fell into the unable to prosecute category.

In comparison, the 2015 figures show that well over half of the violent and sexual assault reports result in police being unable to prosecute due to insufficient evidence.

See this week’s Aberystwyth edition for the full story or read the digital edition by clicking the tab at the top of the page