A woman was saved from going over the rails of a pier after she was spotted by CCTV operators.

The eagle-eyed team, while conducting routine patrols of CCTV footage, had noticed a woman acting erratically on Dover promenade and then trying to climb over the railings.

An operator quickly alerted police who took her to a place of safety.

The operators make up an important team responsible for hundreds of arrests being made and crimes being averted across the Dover district.

In another incident, the control room was told of a missing elderly man with dementia.

Within an hour, an operator spotted him and told police where to find him.

Now, new figures released in Dover District Council’s Annual CCTV Report show a total of 3,655 incidents were caught on camera by the control room team in 2022/23.

Of those, 1,785 needed Kent Police to attend and resulted in 279 arrests.

The team also helped 217 vulnerable people, including missing people and those suffering mental health crises.

The cameras and operators also help keep Dover moving during peak travel times or following road incidents.

They also help DDC with key responsibilities including tackling environmental crime, and monitoring events and the night time economy.

The operators work 12-hour shifts, watching footage from the district’s 114 cameras, while manning phones and monitoring two radios, including one Kent Police device.

They are also part of the Dover Partnership Against Crime (DPAC) radio scheme which links in with businesses in the town to help reduce crimes such as shoplifting.

From July, out-of-hours calls, previously monitored externally, will also be moved in-house and manned by the DDC control room team.

David Parratt, council principal community safety, emergency planning and CCTV officer, said: “All of our operators are local people with vast experience, who know the area very well.

“They have that depth of knowledge about what’s going on across the district and where the hotspots are.

“They have years of experience between them and can spot something on a camera that someone else would miss.

“Our role is detecting and preventing crime, gathering evidence, safeguarding and assisting partner agencies to help those most at risk.

“CCTV isn’t used to gather information about people going about their daily business or minor breaches which do not impact upon public safety.

“The cameras are a powerful tool in the continuing fight against crime.”

Cameras are located in Dover, Deal, Sandwich, Aylesham and Wingham.

All are overt, with signs to indicate their presence in the area.

A Community Roots van also has CCTV installed on a retractable eight-metre column and this can be used at events around the district.