Hundreds of arrests have been made so far this year, in Dacorum, as a result of crimes caught on CCTV.
And around 20,000 incidents, including hundreds of antisocial acts, have been logged by crews at the council's security camera control room.
The revelations over CCTV successes came at a Dacorum Borough Council meeting last week.
At the meeti
ng on Tuesday, November 4, head of public protection at the council, John Clarke, said: "Quite clearly CCTV has a part to play in dealing with crime.
"Many prosecutions are successful because the camera doesn't lie."
Mr Clarke said there were currently almost 70 CCTV cameras across the borough covering everything from town centre streets to car parks.
The network has led to a total of 449 arrests so far this year – compared to 430 arrests in 2006, he said.
The CCTV chief also paid tribute to the specially- trained team who monitor live footage from the cameras at the Civic Centre in Marlowes.
He said: "These people understand everyday life in Dacorum, and their specialist skill is being able to intercept unusual incidents.
"They are able to tell you which particular person walks across a particular pavement at any time of day, such is the level of understanding."
The staff at the CCTV control room also use facial recognition technology to identify and track suspects, Mr Clarke said.
Suspect vehicles in the borough meanwhile, are spotted using nine strategically-placed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras – new technology that went live in September.
Last month, The Gazette reported the borough's ANPR system was catching villains at the rate of one a day by flagging up vehicles connected with crimes.
Mr Clarke said the council also had plans to introduce an additional ANPR camera near the M1 exit at Hemel Hempstead to further increase security in Dacorum.
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