Today "talking cameras" are operating in Salford alongside those recently installed elsewhere in the country, with the number of CCTV cameras the highest in Europe are we turning into a "Big Brother" society? Obviously the idea behind CCTV is to protect the public, preventing anti-social behaviour and keeping our streets clean, but does it invade of our right to privacy?
It was only last month that Traffic Wardens in the area became the first in the UK to be equipped with head-mounted video cameras - with statistics suggesting that people are caught on camera 300 times a day is the extent of CCTV going further than necessary in protecting the public at the expense of their privacy?
It is true that CCTV has been very positive in preventing crime and identifying perpetrators and as many of the cameras are not noticeable without careful inspection, you would hardly notice they are there. Personally I feel safer in areas where CCTV is filming and that new "talking cameras" can only assist in making society a safer place to live.
For our protection or breach of privacy?
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3 comments:
I think that CCTV is going too far, you can't walk into a shop or down the street without cameras in your face and people assuming you are going to commit a crime. What ever happened until being innocent until proved guilty?!
Talking cameras will be a joke, what kid throwing litter on the floor will pay attention to a voice? It's just another gimmic and a waste of tax payers money.
I know where you're coming from James but what about CCTV's assistance in identifying and catching offenders? In many cases the first question police or solicitors ask is whether there was any CCTV. Are the government not justified in breaching the public's privacy to some extent when CCTV goes so far towards protecting us?
I was the victim of criminal damage last year and no CCTV was in operation in the area, it ended up costing me over £1000 to repair the damage done, if CCTV was available I don't know if it would have prevented the offence but it would have gone some way to identifying the criminals who committed it.
It's all part of the governments chip and pin strategy, to track and chip everything and one. Chip away at civil liberties, so the populous doesn't notice. When they do they'll never get them back.
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