CCTV has failed to cut crime in the capital with only three per cent of street robberies solved using the camera images, a top police officer has said.
Despite huge investment in camera systems, Det Ch Insp Mike Neville, head of Scotland Yard's Visual Images, Identifications and Detections Office (Viido), maintained they do not act as a deterrent as many criminals simply assume they are not working.
DCI Neville also acknowledged that some police officers do not want to look through CCTV images "because it's hard work".
He said only three per cent of London's street robberies had been solved using CCTV images.
"Billions of pounds has been spent on kit, but no thought has gone into how the police are going to use the images and how they will be used in court. It's been an utter fiasco," he told the Security Document World Conference in London.
According to civil rights group Liberty, the UK is the world leader in video surveillance with four million CCTV cameras monitoring the public.
What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of CCTV? Let us know your thoughts below.
12:17pm Tuesday 6th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: factoid, chavtown on 1:28pm Tue 6 May 08
Imagine how much crime we would have without CCTV!
Crimewatch regularly identifies criminals with the help of cctv and getting these crims off the street does help.
Weren't the failed tube bombers identified by cctv, football hooliganism has been reduced through cctv,
If the police are too lazy to go through the film - that's another matter!
Imagine how much crime we would have without CCTV!
Crimewatch regularly identifies criminals with the help of cctv and getting these crims off the street does help.
Weren't the failed tube bombers identified by cctv, football hooliganism has been reduced through cctv,
If the police are too lazy to go through the film - that's another matter!
Posted by: Jock, London on 3:36pm Tue 6 May 08
Perhaps the problem is that a rise in crime is having a negative effect on crimes cut through use of CCTV, thus reducing the overall percentage.
Of course the crew of HMS Laughing Stock, at Westminster Bridge, would lead us to believe that crime is falling.
Perhaps the problem is that a rise in crime is having a negative effect on crimes cut through use of CCTV, thus reducing the overall percentage.
Of course the crew of HMS Laughing Stock, at Westminster Bridge, would lead us to believe that crime is falling.
Posted by: bernard crofton, france on 1:36pm Wed 7 May 08
This is no surprise: the very first studies of cctv in car partke came to the same conclusion nearly 20 years ago: crime went down the first few weeks then the criminals found no one responded and crime went higher than non-cctv carparks. It is only of benefit in circumstances where you can have an immediate police response. As for inclusuon in evidence: most cameras in use do not provide good enough picture quality for a jury to accept identication (unless of course the police arrest at the crime scene and within view of the cameras).
This is no surprise: the very first studies of cctv in car partke came to the same conclusion nearly 20 years ago: crime went down the first few weeks then the criminals found no one responded and crime went higher than non-cctv carparks. It is only of benefit in circumstances where you can have an immediate police response. As for inclusuon in evidence: most cameras in use do not provide good enough picture quality for a jury to accept identication (unless of course the police arrest at the crime scene and within view of the cameras).
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