Figures from the Cheshire Constabulary show that violence and sexual offences accounted for 41.5 per cent of all crime in Warrington town centre, Cheshire, in January 2026. Out of 159 total crimes recorded during the month, 66 were listed in this category.
Drug-related crimes also made up 17.6 per cent of the total, with 28 offences recorded. These figures followed a day of police action on 7 January 2026 that involved more than 40 officers working across the town to target crime.
Warrington Borough Council is currently planning to save £220,000 by stopping the live monitoring of town centre cameras. This move would cut the 110 hours of weekly staff time currently spent watching camera feeds in real-time.
If the plan goes ahead, the cameras will move to a recording-only state by September 2026 at the earliest. This means that while the cameras will still record footage, there will be no staff watching the screens to spot trouble as it happens.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts has warned that stopping the live monitoring will lead to more crime and fewer arrests. He stated that the move will make it much harder for police to catch criminals in the act and keep the town centre safe.
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