A weekly crime feature in the Hull Daily Mail is still proving to be a huge success, two years after it was launched.

The paper’s Caught on Camera feature has helped Humberside Police track down dozens of suspects since DC Mick Heseltine took the idea to the Mail.

Despite having CCTV pictures of crime suspects, he was finding it difficult to track them down and needed a way to get the photos into the public domain.

Crime reporter Rick Lyon said: “As a community paper which prides itself on acting on the behalf of all honest, law-abiding residents of Hull and the East Riding, we were happy to print the pictures.”

Two years on, the weekly feature has become a template for other UK forces.

The Mail has printed photographs of more than 170 suspects wanted in connection with offences ranging from assaults, robberies, and thefts to deception and DC Heseltine estimates 80 per cent of suspects have been tracked down thanks to Mail readers.

Many have been arrested and charged, while others have been eliminated from police inquiries.

DC Heseltine regularly visits the Mail’s offices in Blundell’s Corner to hand in the latest CCTV stills and discuss upcoming appeals and has been overwhelmed with its impact.

He said: “I have been amazed by the response. Caught on Camera has sent a message to criminals that there is nowhere to hide.”

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail [email protected]