Concerns have been raised about ‘Big Brother Britain’ and the privacy of CCTV footage. However, a recent survey conducted by ourselves found that the public have accepted CCTV as part of everyday life. Only 20% of respondents to our survey feel that the UK has too many CCTV cameras.
The key issue raised by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Report is that of privacy rather than the prevalence of CCTV technology. Access to data from public space CCTV systems is limited by the Data Protection Act, so if anyone can gain access to images it is clearly a misuse of the system and simply proves the importance of having a competent integrator close at hand that will ensure security.
The suggestion that terrorists would break into a public space CCTV system to analyse the best place to locate a bomb is quite preposterous. If it is a public space in which anyone can stand, why not just visit the area itself?
So what’s the answer? Do we remove all CCTV cameras and have no evidence images to go on?
CCTV is an extremely powerful tool in the fight against crime, and the perception that access to these systems is free and easy – promoted by television programmes like Spooks – is completely incorrect. The data is heavily controlled by the Data Protection Act, and should be secure.
Mark Bouldin
Technical Solutions Manager
Telindus
