I am delighted that Wilmslow's new Closed Circuit Television System will soon be activated. It will be a great day for the town's shopkeepers and everyone who uses the town centre. We should all thank the Wilmslow Partnership and local Wilmslow councillors like Pauline Breland, Wesley Fitzgerald, Paul Whitely and Jim Crockatt who have fought so hard for this crime-busting system.

As I saw for myself in Macclesfield, CCTV can be a powerful weapon not just to help police catch criminals but also to prevent crimes happening n the first place. Muggers will think twice before snatching someone's handbag when they know that they'll be caught on film.

Now the battle moves on to Knutsford, where the Government refuses to pay for a CCTV system. Home Office Ministers who claim that there isn't enough crime in the town to justify the expenditure should meet some of the shopkeepers I speak to on King Street who have had their shops broken into on a regular basis. Knutsford needs CCTV, and needs it now.

For more information about George Osborne MP visit his website www.georgeosborne.co.uk