POLICE in Cornwall could be given special powers to switch street lights on and off under proposals being investigated to deal with Government plans to darken roads overnight.

Cornwall Council announced in April that it was to begin switching off lights at night as part of a Government directive aiming to save money and reduce its environmental impact.

Devon and Cornwall Police have now said they are talking to the council in Cornwall about giving CCTV control room inspectors the ability via Internet technology to switch lights on and off in response to crime.

Chris Vercoe, the force's CCTV and architectural liaison officer, said: "In Cornwall they are spending money on new technology which, if appropriate, would mean inspectors would have the ability to turn the street lights on again. For example, if there was a serious incident they could turn the lights back on. Or if there was an armed incident for example, they could turn the lights off to help the officers at the scene."

Mr Vercoe said the force was taking a cautious approach to turning off street lights. They will only be turned off, he said, in areas where there is no "night-time economy", meaning in areas with nightlife and a greater threat of anti-social behaviour in the hours of darkness will remain lit.

The police are also undertaking a study with councils to identify areas where darkness increases crime so the policy can be adapted quickly to halt it.

Devon County Council announced last week that it is to phase in a switch-off from the start of November.

Cornwall Council it is to replace street lights with bulbs that can be dimmed and allow communities to decide whether they want lights to be switched off completely or dimmed overnight.

Mr Vercoe also pointed out that some areas might benefit from lights being turned off, such as rural areas where youths tending to cause anti-social behaviour might congregate under street lights.

"I'm keeping an open mind," he said. "The lights are not going out where there is a night-time economy, that is why it is not happening in Plymouth and Torbay, for example. It will be where 99.9 per cent of people will be in bed.

"And we will review the study after 12 months to see if it has had any effect at all."

A spokesman for Cornwall Council said: "Cornwall Council is collaborating with the police in providing information for a three-year research project being carried out by Cambridge University.

"The project will measure carbon reduction alongside a programme of social research, to measure impacts on communities and different population groups, and will include police data on crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

"The research will look at the impact of lighting in rural as well as urban areas. The new technology being introduced in Cornwall will allow the largest area evaluation of the impact of re-lighting to be carried out in the UK."