One of the many things that shocked me during the Bonfire Night events in Lewes was the total lack of provocative behaviour by the police. Forming a little roundabout on the pedestrian area in Cliffe, they prevented onlookers from getting crushed in the crowds. Only six members of the 50,000-plus throng were taken into custody. There were no fixed penalty notices issued for letting off fireworks after midnight or throwing fireworks. It all seemed very strange and non Notting Hill Carnival to me. Where were the riot police? Why weren't they lined up in vans in backstreets, with all their gear on just waiting for the first cracker to be dropped so that they could storm the crowd? Surely the police horses must have needed exercising at some point during the night? The truth is that Lewes is a safe town and we must all enjoy this peaceful situation. We should leave our front doors open and allow our children to roam freely. Things may not always be so good. But, what I want to know is this: why, when serious crime rates are so low in Lewes, are there so many CCTV cameras? On a 20 minute shopping trip today, I counted 17 cameras and Lewes' Crime Reduction Partnership is putting in a proposal for more. Why? I know of no bank robbery ever taking place here yet almost every bank has CCTV. What's more, there is a huge camera at the bottom of Station Street, that neither the police nor the council claim to own. Who runs it then? The CIA? The anti-terrorist squad? Doesn't anyone care about why it is there and who looks at the footage except for me? They could have caught me on film wearing a hideous borrowed football scarf last week. Anyone could have access to the pictures.