Whatever the justification, Thanet council may have, I for one have severe reservations about local authority " officers", secretly snooping on us in Thanet with hidden cameras.
In order to curb, graffiti attacks around Thanet Mark Richardson from the of Thanet Community Safety Partnership, has announced the intention to conceal spy cameras in such mundane items as plant pots and street lights in an attempt to catch offenders.
What bugs me about this, is the ever increasing amount of surveillance which is understandable if controlled by the police authorities or the country's intelligence services but I for one have no confidence in the use of surveillance equipment by local bureaucrats etc..
Virtually every town centre street now has its obligatory spy cameras, viewing us, the public, without any apparent accountability. As far as I can tell no one audits the behaviour of local council departments other than themselves.
Does anyone know who actually have monitors the snoopers, is it Sandy Ezekiel or maybe chief executive Richard Samuel. Maybe it's time that the operation room which contains the monitor's for these cameras was open to the public, so that we could see for ourselves everything was above board.
In the novel 1984, proles like me, would have at least been scrutinised by big brother, not someone middle ranking council officer.
Last year after seeing a vandal ripping out one of the plants from a pot under a camera, it seemed that the cameras performed no purpose. He then spent half an hour trashing it around, the only thing he did not do try to hit the camera. No police etc arrived, maybe be the camera operator was asleep? At the end of the day there is a lack of visible police presence on our streets, and community officers, plastic police are not filling this void, and also cameras are not a solution, just another waste of money.
ReplyDeleteOn the whole CCTV footage is not of a high enough quality to allow it to be used in prosecuting cases.
ReplyDeleteAlso I understand that secretly filming a person may breach some central rights but you'd have to ask a law expert.
Finally I'm only 90% sure but some committed use of the Freedom of Information Act should unmask the cameras (not to mention the chain of command that uses them).
Police use cctv footage. It is time the general public were given clear information to whom is doing the monitoring and be given assurance they have been given the necessary security clearance to watch members of the public. Tdc members were resisitant to any such security checks on themselves.
ReplyDeleteI would liketo say that spy camera's are a stupid idea as people would find them then start to abuse them. also it says to catch grafiti vandals? i would like to raise the point that half of them already got caught. Maybe we should focus on them and se what they want. i hear they would like legal graffiti walls. if we put a couple up in everytown, soo every park and un used area's. this would save thousands of pounds each year from getting graffiti removals out. the surveilence is not always watched anyway so why bother? People get scared soon as they see a camera, this would make them stop so if you put up obvouis camera's people would then stop, even if the cameras were fake!
ReplyDeletethanks for the time
local of margate.
Covert cameras are not viewed by CCTV operators, but recorded remotly to be downloaded at a later date.Thanet Council will on request give anyone a list of CCTV camera locations, under the freedom of infomation act, so that's hardly "secret".There are over 80 public area CCTV cameras in Thanet, all monitered by 1 operator, so if he or she misses an incident while doing something else, I suggest YOU phone the police, not just hope it will be attended. Also, last year 39 people were fined for graffiti, witnessed by CCTV, if we can stop this act of vandalism, we wouldn't have to pay to get it cleaned up, we could then prehaps afford to have a second operator. Also, Matt B,"high enough quality"!. Using CCTV filmed at 03.00 in the morning at a distance, a rapist was apprehended, sentanced a nd taken off the street.
ReplyDeleteI know CCTV is not a "golden pill" to cure all problems, but then what is?
And finally, (thank God", I hear you say, A camera, by Law, ( regulation of investigative procedures act 2001), cannot just look into your homes, follow you in the street or, as stated on this blog quite a while ago, check to see what beer your drinking without a damn good reason and written authorisation.
I'll check this page every so often and try to answer any questions, Or write to Thanet Copuncil and ask them, you are entitled to answers. But, no you can't have my name, unless I can have yours and your address!
CCTV Control rooms are the subject of random visits by Lay Visitors. No appointment is required they just turn up. Even if the Police are conducting a covert survelience they cannot prevent the Lay Visitors from entering the control room. All CCTV pictures have to be of 'evidential quality' to be of any use in a court. The Operators are fully vetted and trained and like the lay Visitors are required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement.
ReplyDeleteAs with all investigations they are covered by some thing called RIPA.
If you are going about your lawful business you have no need to worry about the cameras if on the other hand you are up to something that you should not be then I think it is perfectly valid for enforcement agencies to use whatever means available to aprehend perpetrators.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7468430.stm
ReplyDelete