CCTV in Brixton research

[hendo]

Would talk to the civil rights group "Liberty".

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I'd start talking to local solicitors if I were you L&S.

...and the CPCG and the Lay Visitors panel. The latter view CCTV in Police Stations as a checks and balance sort of thing.Their offices are below....Victim Support is in the same building I believe

020 7733 0878
357 Brixton Road SW9 7DA

 

[newbie]

If you think this stuff is going to take years to appear you've missed the way technology is moving in the era of TWAT. There are rumours of a system being trialled in Croydon capable of scanning and comparing 10,000 faces per minute against a database of known interests. A 54Mbps wifi link is probably capable of handling the data necessary for sufficient resolution to flag matches to a human operator. Cameras are small & cheap and can be put anywhere there is power.

After the fact crime investigation is labour intensive and requires huge (image) data storage and retrieval. Automated pre-emptive policing is the way forward.

As are burkas

 

[Jangla]

Eg CCTV was vital to catch the Brixton nail bomber David Copeland and was a very positive use.

Didn't the misuse of the CCTV system led to coppers losing him in a crowd when they should have easily been able to track him and prevent the bomb going off in the first place?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Eh? He didn't give prior warning...they didn't know he was coming in and planting a bomb.

 

[Jangla]

Eh? He didn't give prior warning...they didn't know he was coming in and planting a bomb.

The cops were following him that very day and managed to lose him. Was on 't telly the other day but don't remember why they were following - don't know if it was for an unrelated issue.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

No they weren't. You've got this all wrong. An allegation has been made that they were tailing him in Soho, before he planted the bomb in the Admiral Duncan.

<edited to add>
The order of the bombings were Brixton, Brick Lane, Soho, if I remember correctly.

I've found a link to this allegation, but it's quite hard to access...bear with it...

http://uk.gay.com/printit/2634

 

[L&S]

If you think this stuff is going to take years to appear you've missed the way technology is moving in the era of TWAT...
As are burkas

Agree. As I said above, the technology is already here, but it may take a few years for every cornershop to get round to updating their clapped out VHS, tube camera and CRT monitor! Burkas all round are a top suggestion though - could do wonders for race relations!

 

[jjf]

Amusing story tangential to this topic: 60 CCTV cameras nicked in Wakefield

 

[pooka]

Amusing story tangential to this topic: 60 CCTV cameras nicked in Wakefield

In fact, the only effect of the amplified deterrent was to convince an old lady next door that she had heard the voice of God "telling her, in a strong Lancashire accent, to leave the vicinity as soon as possible

 

[Gramsci]

The thing about the nail bomber was the Searchlight had already informed the police he was a possible suspect.It was not necessarily CCTV that caught him.

As Newbie pointed out the technology is increasing rapidly.CCTV use is high in this country compared to others and with less regulation.

My personal experience of it is that i objected to it when it first came to Bxiton.I was told it would reduce street crime and make Brixton safer.This has not happened.

I think it would be better to do a three minute programme on peoples feelings about CCTV.Unfortunately I think people become blase about it.As well as arguments for or against.Rather than individual stories.

Also the Council (who control CCTV)use it to catch shopkeepers putting their rubbish out at the wrong time etc.It is not just used to catch real criminals.Its this low level social control/surveillance that concerns me.

 

[guinnessdrinker]

I think it would be better to do a three minute programme on peoples feelings about CCTV.Unfortunately I think people become blase about it.As well as arguments for or against.Rather than individual stories.

Also the Council (who control CCTV)use it to catch shopkeepers putting their rubbish out at the wrong time etc.It is not just used to catch real criminals.Its this low level social control/surveillance that concerns me.

and I would second that, too can we have some privacy, please? it's one thing having CCTV in a bank or even the high street, it's another thing having it where people live, watching their every move, or their way of life.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

I found out today that Lambeth Council has a CCTV control room. I never knew this. Apparently the control room is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and staff monitor over 350 cameras.

If this is the case, CCTV seems to be particularly ineffective. Where are the masses of stories in the SLP about muggings that have been cleared up etc? I and several of my friends have been to the police about various issues from assault to a stolen bicycle and we have never EVER heard anything back from coppers/CCTV people.

Has anyone else had any luck with CCTV? (I would be happy to be proved wrong!)

 

[newbie]

Some of those cameras cover Brixton Hill and are used as part of the anti-prostitution efforts, which are fairly popular in the affected streets (being hassled at 8.30 am when taking your kids to school isn't that pleasant). Others are primarily for traffic management, i guess.

As for clearing up crime, unless they're recording the cameras they're of no use in detection: if they are then there are 350 x 8 3 hour tapes per day to archive and index. Which is where the digital recording and automated facial recognition I mentioned earlier comes in. I'd be interested to know what sort of technology Lambeth uses. Can anyone get an invite to look round their control room?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

The sort of thing pooka would know, or can find out......

 

[cemertyone]

Hi

I'm doing some research into CCTV use, in Brixton, for a possible very short film documentary about Brixton.

I'm interested in any people's firsthand experience of positive and negative uses of CCTV, IN BRIXTON.

Eg CCTV was vital to catch the Brixton nail bomber David Copeland and was a very positive use. But recently a writer was misidentified by a witness from CCTV footage (story did not say which area of London was involved) and was subsequently subjected to an extended prosecution for theft despite plenty of evidence to absolutely prove she wasn't even in London at the time of the incident. Although eventually cleared her fingerprints, photos and arrest details remain on file.

Note: Incidences of CCTV being ineffectual eg being blurred, pointed in the wrong way, not recording etc, won't be useful for the documentary.

Thanks very much for any stories!

I believe that Newham council was recently at the forefront of the CCTV revolution esp with its use of face recognation systems...and out of potentially 100 known street criminals...it managed to pick up not a single one it all its trails there...i think its value is limited......