HASLEMERE council taxpayers could be stumping up the cost of four more CCTV cameras if the town's proposed mobile two-camera system gets the go-ahead by Haslemere Town Council.

Haslemere town councillor Jacquie Keen told members of the town council's finance and general purposes committee last Thursday that if the CCTV proposals proved successful for Haslemere and the surrounding area, more cameras should be bought.

"The fear of crime in Haslemere is greater than the actual crime rate," Mrs Keen told town councillors.

But she said: "Once we have installed the system and reduced people's fears, we can then buy some more cameras for the town."

Mrs Keen's comments came after the CCTV partnership and enterprise group, of which she is a member, met in secret session before the town council committee meeting.

It was the second time the group had met behind closed doors to discuss the issue recently.

Although members of the public and the press were excluded from the CCTV group meeting, another town council representative on the group, James Mackie, told the council that members of the public will be able to volunteer to watch the CCTV monitors during peak hours.

They would be able to report any crime directly to the police and act as CCTV wardens.

But Mr Mackie said: "I am rather concerned whether we will be able to find volunteers from the community to monitor the cameras.

"After all, at some times it will be a little like watching washing go round in a laundromat."

He added that volunteers would be trained by the police and said that, after their own training, they could go on to train other volunteers themselves.

The CCTV system which consists of two mobile cameras has a total start-up cost of £16,000 which includes free maintenance for the first year.

Follow-on maintenance costs are likely to be around £4,000 a year plus the costs of any additional equipment agreed by the council in future years.

The equipment is to be purchased by the town council but owned by Surrey police as part of the Waverley partnership scheme which means other towns in Waverley will be able to borrow the cameras should the need arise.

The CCTV scheme was supported by members of the committee, but chairman Stephen Mulliner said: "This first year will very much be a question of suck it and see."

Further discussion will take place at the next meeting of the CCTV partnership and enterprise group, and the final decision on the proposed system taken at the next meeting of the full town council on Thursday November 15.