CALLS are being made for more CCTV in Risca after a police operation aimed at cracking a shoplifting ring.

Officers from Risca and Duffryn in Newport teamed up to halt a gang of "prolific" shoplifters which was targeting shops.

They made three arrests after staging early morning raids on three Newport homes on September 11.

Police say the gang had allegedly committed up to 30 crimes in the past four months and were causing a real concern for shopkeepers in the Pantside, Cwm-carn, and Risca areas.

Force intelligence officer Andy Davies, based at Risca, said: "This enquiry was assisted greatly by the fact that the shops concerned had CCTV systems which aided identification in the inquiry.

"This has proven the importance of CCTV." He added that the dawn raids had resulted in a "substantial amount of crime being detected."

He added: "Although the incidents were fairly innocuous in isolation, when put together they were quite substantial."

Risca East Labour councillor Stanley Jenkins said: "This proves how useful CCTV is in detecting crime and it proves a point that the Risca area is lacking in CCTV facilities." He added: "I would like to see more cameras in the town because it must have been seen as a soft touch.

"This probably explains why the shoplifters came up from Newport where there is a lot more surveillance on the streets."

The gang specifically targeted Spar shops during their raids. Today one worker at Risca's Spar - who asked not to be named - said: "It's brilliant news, especially for the girls who work in the evenings, as this is when most of our shoplifting offences occur.

"Ever since I started working here earlier this year there has been a big increase in shoplifting, so hopefully this will help curtail it."

She added that the shop was able to assist police officers in Risca in identifying suspects by handing over crucial CCTV video tapes from inside the shop.

*Three men were arrested in connection with the investigation and are on police bail.