More than 20,000 people sign up to CCTV database to help West Midlands Police catch criminals
More than 20,000 people have signed up to a new service to help West Midlands Police catch criminals.
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The service, set up in September last year, allows people to add their home or business cameras to a secure map of others in the region.
Police can then quickly identify cameras that may have captured evidence near to the scene of a crime.
Within seconds, officers can send details of the incident to the owners of the camera, along with a request for them to check their footage.
People can then send the images using a secure link to help police identify criminals or trace victims and witnesses.
West Midlands Police said "thousands of offenders" are brought to justice each year with the help of CCTV and doorbell camera footage.
The force is one of only two in the UK to have started using the system to help solve crime.
A police spokesperson said: "The system has already been successful in solving major crimes in Coventry.
"If people continue to add their details to the map that can only be seen by officers, it will help us solve other serious crimes in other areas of the West Midlands."
More than 20,300 people across the region have so far added their details to the secure database.
People can sign up by submitting their name, address, email and number of cameras they control to the West Midlands Police website.
