1,000 cameras 'solve one crime'

In The News World News
#1

BBC News:

1,000 cameras 'solve one crime’

**Only one crime was solved by each 1,000 CCTV cameras in London last year, a report into the city’s surveillance network has claimed.

**The internal police report found the million-plus cameras in London rarely help catch criminals.
In one month CCTV helped capture just eight out of 269 suspected robbers.
David Davis MP, the former shadow home secretary, said: “It should provoke a long overdue rethink on where the crime prevention budget is being spent.”

He added: "CCTV leads to massive expense and minimum effectiveness.
"It creates a huge intrusion on privacy, yet provides little or no improvement in security.
“The Metropolitan Police has been extraordinarily slow to act to deal with the ineffectiveness of CCTV.”

I was a bit surprised when I read this but not when I thought a bit further. For deterring and solving crime I’m sure nothing beats actual cops on duty.

#2

My only surprise is that they actually admitted that “It creates a huge intrusion on privacy, yet provides little or no improvement in security.”

Now, the question is, will they take them out? I wouldn’t hold my breath. Will that stop other cities from installing them anyway? Ditto.

#3

I dont see what the big deal is with CCTV, its more about the crimes they actually deter than the ones they catch, if someone s going to rob you mug you or beat you up, and there is a CCTV there, i am sure there going to think twice about it.

If we are law abiding citizens who cares if we’re on camera

#4

Doubtful. I suspect most criminals are criminals precisely because they are the sort who don’t think twice.

And I care about being on camera. Yes, I expect to be on camera when I enter a bank or shop but it’s something else entirely to have my every movement caught on camera.

Besides, you have to think not just in terms of intentions but capabilities as they say in the military. Let’s say you are involved in some legal activity that the government doesn’t like. Soon enough they will be able to use the cameras plus face recognition software (once they work out the bugs) to follow you wherever you go.

#5