CCTV use a complicated matter
Published:Saturday | May 4, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Some research findings such as 'Surveillance for Crime Prevention in Public Space' (Welsh, B.C., & Farrington, D.P. (2004)) have suggested that the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance is an effective crime-reduction strategy for certain crimes in certain urban environments.
The drawbacks, however, such as the costs to society and the ethical and moral considerations for criminal-justice practitioners, must be taken into account, in addition to any benefit of using this strategy to reduce crime rates.
CCTV surveillance is comprehensive, and continuous video surveillance permits the police to systemically observe every person within the cameras' range. The expectation is that the surveillance would act as a deterrent, as well as an enhancement, of the perception of safety in the public's mind. This deterrent effect makes the presumption that crime is based on rational choice.
However, the motivation and causation of crime are varied and complex. Crime may still be committed regardless of the presence of surveillance cameras, as demonstrated by the unfortunate events recently in Boston. The public may have a false sense of security, resulting in greater risks of being the victims of crime.
Crime may also be displaced to the surrounding areas that are
privacy issues
Although some citizens are in support of the police usage of this method, in the absence of compelling justifications, all citizens in a democratic society should be free to move about without fear of being systematically monitored by agents of the State. Such systematic monitoring facilitates an erosion of privacy and may lead to abuse and/or misuse of data. The recordings have commercial value and could be used in that context for television caught-on-camera shows.
There is also considerable judgement on the part of the camera operator on what gets reported. Criteria for who is identified as looking suspicious are solely dependent on the way camera operators would interpret what is occurring.
CCTV surveillance, therefore, has serious implications for the use and governance of public space. Any use of such surveillance should require the implementation of strict controls or policies and procedures regarding compliance, data security, data access, and data use, misuse, and abuse.
LANCE KELLY
Security Analyst