When Wagga City Council flicked the switch on the cameras last year, a robust debate ensued about the merits of the technology.

Some thought it would be a silver bullet solution to main street violence, others thought it was an expensive waste of time.

Civil libertarians claimed Big Brother’s unblinking eye was the thin edge of the wedge for privacy, while a high-ranking overseas cop branded the rise of CCTV an “utter fiasco”.

Criminologists closer to home were reading from the same rap sheet, saying the burgeoning camera craze in Australia was doing little to prevent crime or catch offenders.

But probe a little deeper and it seems these findings ignored some undeniable truths.

For starters, no one credible really expected CCTV to napalm crime completely.

The British experience may show the cameras only solved 3 per cent of street crime, but that’s 3 per cent of crime that would have gone unsolved otherwise.

What’s more, none of these experts have made mention of CCTV’s greatest strength – its power of deterrence.

When it comes to violent crime on a victim, prevention is far more important than prosecution.

So while CCTV may not be a panacea and it may not even be great value for money, it’s impossible to argue the cameras don’t at least have some positive effect for our community.

A report to go before Wagga council on Monday night will reveal that by the numbers, the cameras have not driven down offence rates one iota.

But we shouldn’t ignore the fact the cameras are still a powerful prosecution tool in court.

In April, CCTV footage emerged of a wild brawl at the Gurwood Street taxi rank.

That case is currently before the courts and the footage will be a key piece of evidence.

The big brother cameras can’t always protect you from becoming a victim, just as your big brother can’t always protect you in real life.

But it can give you something hard to statistically measure – peace of mind.