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'Time
to debate merits of CCTV'
[editor's title] Lib Dem Assembly member Dee Doocey says it is time to engage "in a debate about the role of CCTV" (letters, 25 Oct). I agree that it is high time, in fact. However, it isn't easy to square Ms Doocey's assertion that, "there is no link between a high number of CCTV and a better crime clear-up rate" with that of Lib Dem councillors for Willesden Green: "We particularly welcome the Council decision to invest extra resources in CCTV for local high roads" (letter, 5 July). Whilst one Lib Dem complains that calls for CCTV "too often come as a knee jerk reaction" and that money would be better spent on police officers; another Lib Dem would have us sign a petition to support the installation of CCTV on Willesden High Road. Brent Green Party has been questioning the effectiveness, and unintended consequences, of CCTV long before the publication of the Lib Dem survey. One can acknowledge that CCTV footage is sometimes useful, even critical, in securing a conviction in certain circumstances. But the more relevant question is whether it is generally a better way, pound for pound, of directing limited police resources. A 2007 report by the Royal Academy of Engineering entitled, "Dilemmas of Privacy and Surveillance: challenges of technological change" concludes that it is "far from clear that surveillance brings intended benefits" and that the harms often fall more upon those who are racially stereotyped. Writing to your paper in 2004, I coined the phrase "Crimewatch UK CCTV syndrome" to describe how CCTV contributes to an irrational sense of siege or suspicion. Where does all this leave the Lib Dem CCTV campaign in Brent? I don't doubt the good intentions of these councillors in wanting to combat crime. But I hope they will now reconsider their project for Willesden High Road and follow their colleague in pursuit of less populist but more effective measures. Shahrar Ali Brent and Harrow constituency Candidate for the London Assembly Brent Green Party PO Box 54785 London NW9 1FL |
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