Uniformed police officers are patrolling the entrances to polling stations in Central, East, Park and Ravensthorpe wards, while CCTV cameras are trained on voters arriving at the polls.

Jonny Muir has spoken to all 70 candidates, and asks why they deserve your vote - peterboroughtoday.co.uk/election2008

Meanwhile, mobile units of officers are on alert to tackle suspected irregularities at polling stations across 19 Peterborough wards, from Barnack to Glinton, and Stanground to Thorney.

Among the police's armoury is automatic number plate recognition systems, mobile CCTV units and teams of multi-lingual interpreters.

Their job is to prevent a recurrence of election fraud that plagued the city in 2004 and 2007.

Last month, three people – Tariq Mahmood, Peterborough's first Asian mayor Mohammed Choudhary and Maqbool Hussein – were jailed after an unsuccessful attempt to fraudulently win town hall seats in the 2004 election.

Another three men – former mayor Raja Akhtar, Central ward councillor Abdul Razaq, whose term of office ends today, and Mohammed Khaliq, are all charged with forgery in relation to the same election and are due to stand trial in the summer.

Last year, two Slovakians were convicted of impersonating others in the 2007 election after accepting £20 to vote with polling cards with others' names on them.

Today, divisional commander for Peterborough Chief Superintendent Paul Phillipson and Peterborough City Council chief executive and returning officer Gillian Beasley said they had done all they could to prevent election fraud.

Both were at a polling station in Beech Avenue, Millfield, where police officers arrived at 8.45am, to check on the security presence.

Speaking at 8am, Mrs Beasley said: "Everything is calm. The 72 polling stations have all opened in time. I am hoping for a free and fair election where people who are on the electoral register can exercise their democratic right to vote.

"I am confident that we have done more than any other authority in the country to make sure this election is free and fair."

Chief Supt Phillipson added: "As far as I am concerned we have made the process as clear and transparent as possible within the current rules.

"As well as ensuring that people vote freely, we do not want there to be any form of intimidation outside polling stations."

In an effort to clean-up the electoral register, the council sent out blank registration forms, resulting in more than 8,000 people dropping off the register.

Anyone with suspicions about election fraud can call a council hotline today on 01733 452439.