An internal police report has raised serious concerns about whether CCTV is being used effectively in the fight against crime.
The document, obtained from Scotland Yard using the Freedom of Information Act, reveals that CCTV footage was used to solve less than one crime for every 1,000 cameras in the Capital.
And that's despite the huge amount of money chucked at CCTV:
Each case helped by the use of CCTV effectively costs £20,000 to detect, Met figures showed.
So, we're caught on CCTV 300 times a day and feel oppressed as a result, huge amounts of money are spent on this lazy policing and it's effectively useless? How very New Labour!
Ah! But that's not even the best bit:
"All the cameras around here are high definition zoom, not being laid down to tape or hard drive. And down the road there are just cameras with live views, so unless someone's actually watching them, they're a complete waste of time".
And even if they are watching them, how useful would that be in court?
Britain has 1 per cent of the world’s population but around 20 per cent of its CCTV cameras - which works out as the equivalent of one for every 14 people.
Yep, even the Chinese don't spy on their population like the Brits!
It costs a bloody fortune, gives the filth another excuse to park at a desk, is useless, isn't implemented properly, doesn't stop crime, has a terrible cost/benefit ratio, will be used to justify even more cost and then there's this little thought:
Nor are cameras much good in getting convictions. Evidence from them is only allowed in court if the images are securely stored and handled, so that there is no possibility that they have been tampered with.
Just remind me again why we're doing this at all?
9 comments:
Sounds to me like the solution is LOTS MORE CCTV CAMERAS.
Can't fail!
Simples, install CCTV cameras to watch the people watching the cameras.
The point of CCTVs is to get us used to having them around.
Then, once we're inured, the government will eventually install then in everyone's home. 1st they'll target families with "at risk" children.
JohnW
The new generation of spy/cctv has audio capacity (it can hear your conversations).
What really pisses me off about CCTV is how poor most of the pictures are. How often do we see a "Do you know this person?" on TV or in the papers, yet it would be difficult to tell if was a man or woman, let alone have any chance of identifying them.
But if you spend some time going through the online webcams around the world, you will find the latest IPTV cameras not only provide High quality images, but in many cases can be remotely controlled by anyone!
Try these ones:
http://www.overall.ee/en/webcam/
http://www.caycompass.com/webcam/bayshore.shtml
As OUR money is being used to watch us 24/7 at least make sure the results are of some use. And before you all jump down my throat, I'm NOT in favour of this creeping surveillance, just making a point.
In the interests of balance, you ought to know that 95% of our 4.2 million cameras are technically, if not actually, illegal.
If you cannot see a sign saying "CCTV cameras in operation" or "You are being filmed" or somesuch, any evidence they do create can be dismissed in court.
In theory, you could kill someone in cold blood, on camera, with the pope and all the world leaders watching you do it, but without that little magical sign, you are going home a free man.
(You just don't want a curtain twitcher to see you. You'd be nailed on their evidence....).
JohnW at 09.55
The cheeeldrens are already being targeted by that nice Mr E Balls – 2,000 homes so far and another 20,000 to come, and then it’s your turn ...
It’s to make sure they get fed properly and go to bed on time apparently. Oh and go to school. I’m not sure how that would work – if they are not at home they could be anywhere – but I’m sure those clever people in the Ministry of Spying have it all worked out.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/115736/Sin-bins-for-worst-families
More enterprising operators are using them for their entertainment and amusement...
http://rinf.com/alt-news/surveillance-big-brother/cctv-snooping-into-homes/
You couldn’t make it up.
Some are actually useful - see the traffic on your local motorway (but not read the number plates).
http://www.traffic-england.co.uk/
You are doing this for the same reason cities in the US are doing this: money. Every time someone is caught on camera, he has to pay. Some cities' mayors are on record as saying that they plan to put up more of these since, as one put it, "they pay for themselves within four months and after that, it's a steady revenue stream. And who can complain? You're caught on camera speeding or running a red light."
It's not what they do, it's what they appear to do that Labour care about...
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