There is no doubt CCTV has been an important tool in nailing criminals in our city.

Since the network was turned on 10 years ago, police have made almost 5,000 arrests thanks to the cameras.

Today we feature some of the high-profile crooks who have been cornered thanks to the technology.

But, while police have paid tribute to the “invaluable” crime-fighting tool, there is still huge criticism aimed at CCTV.

One local campaigner claimed the camera success rate is “abysmally poor”. Meanwhile, national press coverage has compared detection rates with the number of cameras and cost – and it did not look favourable.

But Oxford had just three CCTV cameras 10 years ago — now it has a sprawling network of 51 reaching across the city.

The council and police clearly think it is worthy of the investment.

Human rights activists trumpet fears over intrusion and the spectre of a Big Brother culture – although it is also frequently commented that only those with something to hide need worry about being spied upon.

One thing that’s clear from today’s story is the network is not going away and there are plans to roll out even more hi-tech cameras.