Hairdresser Ian Gavin says he has lost faith in the ability of police and the town's own cameras to protect his North Street shop, Fellows.

He has now trained a webcam on his window – and is urging other businesses to take their own action to deter yobs.

"The shop window smashing round here is a joke. We need extra police on the streets so they can build a rapport with the community. That is what the police need to get back to," he said.

Alcatraz hairdressers, in Gaol Lane, has also been targeted by vandals twice since Christmas. A window and doors have been smashed.

Manager Adam Foster is calling for more CCTV cameras in the town. He said: "Gaol Lane is known for this sort of thing because the CCTV is not very good and it is quite dark down here. People cut through here to get to the kebab shops after they have come out of the pub."

John Humphreys, of Rafi's Spice Box, also in Gaol Lane, said: "We had three front windows smashed last year and just before Christmas a fire was started round the back of the shop.

"The community warden and police officers are always calling to check things are okay but the CCTV here is ancient and you need to know when something happened because officers cannot trawl through all the footage."

CNC Networks, in Gaol Lane, installs security systems for businesses.

Manager Phil Skinner said he had had several inquiries about CCTV and other equipment from firms in the town centre.

He said systems included a CCTV camera which sent pictures to your own mobile phone.

Insp Tristan Pepper, Sudbury area police commander, said: "I would be the first to admit there are never enough officers... that is, there are enough to deal with what is happening, but we could always do with more. We do have extra officers on Friday and Saturday nights and the proactive use of CCTV to film people doing the damage."

He said the main problem was drunks.

He confirmed that someone had been arrested over earlier criminal damage at Fellows.

Insp Pepper said crime figures were down nine per cent across the whole of Sudbury, compared with this time last year.

Criminal damage was up, but other offences, including crimes such as robbery and burglary, were down.

Deputy town clerk Ian Clark said Babergh Council had been asked to review CCTV in the town.

There are 24 cameras for the whole of Sudbury and Hadleigh, monitored at an emergency service centre in Ipswich.

tracey.gray@sudburytoday.co.uk