Northampton Borough Council's team was nominated for a British Security Industry Association award after assisting in 4,174 arrests from April 2006 to March 2007.
Judges described the Reliance Security Services operation as "a blessing", helping t
o rid the county of robberies, violence and drug crime.
Councillor Tony Woods, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: "Northampton has an excellent CCTV system, which benefits the people who live in, work in and visit the town.
"The system is only as good as the people who operate it and we are very lucky to have a dedicated team who have earned an excellent reputation by working closely with local businesses and Northamptonshire Police.
"Whether we notice the cameras or not, the team are working 24 hours a day, every day of the year to help prevent and detect crime to make Northampton a safer place.
"This year the team has already received four commendations from the Police for their work as well as the British Security Industry Association award."
Joe Joyce, chairman of the Northampton Retail Crime Initiative, said: "I've worked very closely with them for four years and they do a superb job helping the police, the council and shopkeepers. It would be ludicrous to suggest they would see every single misdemeanour, but their help is invaluable."
The team won in the category of best use of technology in security and was presented with the award at a ceremony at the Hilton in London.
