A NEW era in police surveillance has begun. From today, many a home in South Bank has its own private eye.

This is a ground-breaking police response to a crimewave which has seen 140 houses hit by burglars since the summer. Tiny cameras have been installed inside homes considered to be most at risk from break-ins.

The raiders are usually after portable, easy to sell-on electronic gadgets such as DVD players, computers and games consoles. Now similar technology is being deployed against them.

As well as in-house CCTV some of the warren of alleys, which form a burglar's ideal escape route, are to be closed off.

It is an impressive response to the concerns of South Bank residents.

The police are confident the cameras will have an immediate impact. It is the Clint Eastwood syndrome. A burglar eyeing up a South Bank property will not know whether a camera is concealed inside. He will have to ask himself, "Do I feel lucky?"

The police hope to catch red-handed some of those who still take the risk. That will depend on how well the CCTV pictures are monitored, of course.

It is a fascinating initiative. As the police monitor the criminals, the rest of the city will be watching to see if this experiment is framing up to be a real crime buster.

Updated: 11:17 Tuesday, February 10, 2004