For years now, the civil liberties lot have been worrying about the proliferation of CCTV cameras, throughout Britain. Recently, DCI Neville of the yard, has poured scorn over these fears.
I don't know much about criminology, but I do investigate crime. I think people need to understand the limitations of CCTV. It is only any use, if it is being monitored by operators and recorded in real time. Sticking a camera on the side of your building, with a 24 hour tape in it, is a total waste of money. If I had a £1 for every crime I investigate, where a civvy crime recorder has instructed me to check CCTV. I'm sorry, but seeing a shadowy figure in the distance is not going to assist me whatsoever, in identifying an offender.
You have got to ask, "Is it worth the officer's time to trawl through hours and hours of CCTV?" I'll be honest, in most cases it isn't. A lot of it depends on the camera system, but generally time- lapse cameras are a waste of space. A correctly positioned camera, not too panned out and with good lighting, should be worth looking at. Anything else, forget it.
So, Mrs Olympic medal winner. I can guarantee, even if the Met do look at the CCTV, they wont find anything of any use.
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5 comments:
It was a pub CCTVnot a police/town clouncil one that might have caught the robbery, so the police have to try to get it off the company concerned. What's the odds that 1. It's on some digital system that they cannot downlaod from, 2.) uses kackered tapes or 3) has such poor camer quality you only see shadows.
It's shocking some of the private systems in clubs, pubs etc, that give no quality at all, and are a compelte waste of money - just there to tick a box saying 'we have CCTV'.
We had the worlds greatest number of CCTCs ( per head ) foisted upon us with the promise that they would deter crime and counter terrorism.
They have done neither but now local councils are allowed to use footage to fine motorists for relatively minor parking and lane violations.
From todays news, yesterday a man was knifed to death outside MacDonalds in Oxford St.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-murdered-in-oxford-street-827107.html
That surely has to be one of the most CCTV'd ( ? ) places on earth yet today the Met are appealing to holiday makers and day trippers for their photo snaps.
In another case a couple of years ago which got much media attention two scumbags burst into the cental London home of a wealthy City business man, murdered him and seriously wounded his wife as their young daughters slept upstairs.
Partly by use of CCTV they were fairly quickly apprehended and sentenced to substantial gaol.
The CCTV trail started at a nearby tube station where the pair were filmed mugging an Asian man for his mobile, this and subsequent footage led to their indentification and prosecution.
I was struck by the fact that no-one at the time of the mugging seemed to react or even give a toss; it only became of interest when the event was useful in detecting the more serious crime.
A copper got blew up in a booby trap bomb at his home last night. Just so you know; in case anyone asks, he is going to make it. Bits missing though.
S. ex RUC.
CCTV does not prevent crime but it is a potential investigation tool. Town CCTV is usually quite good if the operator switches it to real time, zooms in and follows the action.
The worst is the standard nightclub black and white time lapse multicamera systems.
You know there was a big fight in the foyerr at 00.05 hrs. You watch the footage that shows a gathering in the foyer. Then the camera flips to the bar, then yo the back door, then to the beer barrels, then to the car park then to a blank screen (camera broken) then an empty office room and finally after another couple of flips to the foyer which is completely empty, apart from the IP who is lying on the floor rubbing his head.
The best I saw was a colour real time video in a corner shop. A group of young teens went in and began shoplifting and the footage was good enough to identify and subsequently convict/caution 8 of the 10. -result!
It's not just the private CCTV systems that are rubbish.
My Other Half is a teacher and for a while taught at one the toughest schools in London (one of her students was the murderer Learco Chindamo, others of her students were murdered themselves).
Police asked her to view CCTV footage from the local tube station on a number of occasions to identify students carrying out various crimes.
She never could. She knew the students well, but London Underground's footage was so poor that all she could say was that the school uniform was most likely that of her school.
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