By JAMES SLACK

Last updated at 20:22 19 October 2007

Closed-circuit TV cameras supposed to catch violent thugs have been trained on roads instead - to trap and fine motorists who stray into bus lanes.

A Home Office study of Britain's 4.2million CCTV cameras also revealed they are not proving much help to the police in collaring criminals.

More than eight out of ten of the cameras - the UK has the largest number in the world - do not provide satisfactory images for officers to use.

In many cases, a suspect can be recognised only if police already know who they are. Also, very few cameras are positioned in a place that would tackle terrorism, or spot reconnaissance missions by fanatics.

But, despite the lack of success, officials are still considering the case for even more cameras. Councils, which run CCTV control rooms, can choose where they target their cameras - even though, when they were paid for, the intention was to cut street crime.

Home Office officials found they are being used to monitor bus lanes for motorists passing inside the thick white lines painted on the road.

Those caught can be served with a fine of up to £100, sent to the home of the person registered as the car's keeper by the DVLA.

The report, compiled by the Home Office and Association of Chief Constables, reveals: "In some cases the cameras' initial purpose has been changed or they are required to perform a number of additional and conflicting tasks.

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"Some existing cameras originally installed for detecting crime are now being positioned to monitor a bus lane and record vehicle number plates.

"While the cameras are being used in this way, it seems unlikely that they will be used proactively to patrol the area and detect crime. Current installed cameras cannot perform these two functions at the same time."

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "In yet another extraordinary admission of incompetence we see that this Government has managed to give people all the disadvantages of CCTV in terms of undermining civil liberties but only provide minimal advantage in terms of public safety and crime detection.

"The countless victims of crime in this country will be stunned to hear that, not only can they not get a police officer on the streets, but also most of the CCTV footage that should help them get justice is less than useless."

Paul Smith, founder of drivers' pressure group SafeSpeed, said: "Drivers will be infuriated. We are seeing local authorities with stretched budgets profiting from these cameras by fining drivers.

"They are often very minor offences with little to do with safety. This is about raising revenues and nothing to do with combating crime."

Phil Booth, of the NO2ID civil liberties campaign, said: "This is both a farce and a national scandal. The cameras are delivering no meaningful results for the safety of the average citizen. It seems more like a snooper's charter to spy on the motorist, while the criminal gets away with it."

Other damning findings of the report, the National CCTV Strategy, include the fact that many cameras in public places such as shopping centres and transport hubs are designed to "monitor crowds, slips, trips and falls" rather than detect crime.

Some police forces have failed to keep pace with technological developments, leading to evidence being lost, and some cameras are poorly maintained and "not fit for purpose".

The report added that CCTV played a crucial role in the investigation into the July 7 suicide bombings, but went on: "The majority of cameras have not been placed in positions which may be required for the prevention and detection of serious and organised crime and counter-terrorism."

The authorities should consider placing cameras to cover high-risk targets - such as major pieces of the national infrastructure - rather than to combat low-level crime and disorder, the document said.

Camera operators should also be trained to spot "hostile reconnaissance" by terrorists.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'CCTV has proven its effectiveness time and again in tackling crime and disorder.

It also plays a vital role in the fight against terrorism and helps communities feel safer.

"The strategy recognises that for CCTV to continue to be effective it must have both the support of the public and take account of rapidly changing technology."