ONCE bustling town centres on a Saturday night resemble ghost towns as these images from police CCTV show.

Dyfed-Powys Police has rolled out dozens of new cameras, which are monitored by a team at the force’s headquarters near Carmarthen.

But instead of revellers spilling out of bars, and occasionally getting up to no good, there appears little to see during the coronavirus emergency.

From Aberystwyth to Carmarthen and Newtown, the places where people used to congregate on a Saturday night resemble ghost towns.

A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys police and crime commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said the cameras were still being monitored.

He said there had been a “significant” reduction in crime, although the force was receiving a lot of reports of people not following instructions on non-essential travel and social distancing.

He added: “Our anti-social behaviour levels are higher than they are usually at this time of year, and that increase is attributable to Covid-19 related calls.”

Like the rest of us, police officers have had to make adjustments, according to Gareth Jones, chairman of Dyfed-Powys Police Federation, which represents officers.

He said officers had staggered start and finish times to minimise contact with fellow officers and staff.

Another difference was not having the face-to-face or other personal contact with victims of crime.

And then there was the challenge, he said, of dealing with the minority who showed a “total disregard” for the coronavirus regulations.

Mr Jones said there may have been a slight reduction in administrative work for officers – and estimated a 20 per cent to 30 per cent reduction in crime across the board.

Asked if he felt police were getting more or less support from the public now than before the lockdown, he replied: “Our members feel that they get support from 99 per cent of the general public.

“This is evidenced by the supportive messages put on social media and also from verbal feedback to staff when on patrol, and also from management feedback.”

But he added: “Officers are however still being assaulted across the force area.

“They are being coughed at and spat at as well as other forms of assaults committed upon them.

“The courts have been giving custodial sentences to offenders, which is pleasing to see.”