CCTV cameras led to 73 people being arrested and dealt with in Bournemouth town centre last month.

Those individuals were charged and dealt with for alleged offences including assaults, thefts, criminal damage, attempted rape, indecent assault and public order.

The validity of CCTV has been in question this week after members of the House of Lords Constitution Committee said growth of CCTV is “undermining” the public’s right to privacy.

In a damning report, the peers criticise the “incessant creep” of CCTV snooping and the recording of personal information by the government.

But Dorset Police say the statistics for January prove CCTV is crucial in fighting crime and bringing offenders to justice.

Chief Inspector Steve Horton, head of operations for Bournemouth and Poole police, said: “CCTV is not about snooping on people. The only thing we are looking for is to catch people misbehaving and committing offences. We do not point cameras at people who are walking down the street minding their own business.”

He added: “The statistics from last month prove how effective CCTV can be. Had we not had the CCTV evidence, the number of people being brought to justice as a direct result of CCTV would have been far lower.”

A pilot is under way in the town to put a sergeant in Bournemouth’s CCTV control room on a Friday and Saturday night to monitor activity and direct patrols to incidents in a bid to nip trouble in the bud.

Cllr David Smith, cabinet member for community, said: “In all the years I have been dealing with CCTV cameras for the borough I have not received any complaints about their use. In fact almost 100 per cent of residents I speak to are in support of CCTV cameras.”

He added that the system has been used to gather evidence used to arrest and charge criminals.