In a letter to the editor responding to a front page article in yesterday’s Independent newspaper warning that HD CCTV in public spaces puts human rights at risk, Alex Carmichael, the BSIA’s technical director, said:
“I was disappointed to read Mr. Rennison’s statements questioning the effectiveness of CCTV cameras in detecting crime, an assertion which is countered by the fact that over 3,000 arrests were made as a direct result of CCTV technology following last year’s August riots, in addition to the pivotal role it also played in the investigation of the 7/7 bombings. Examples such as these demonstrate that, in public areas, CCTV does play a positive role in providing public safety and supporting our hard-working police in their endeavours to detect and solve crime.”
Addressing the specific comments on HD camera technology, Mr Carmichael said that “it should come as no surprise” that camera technology worldwide is continually evolving. “In the future, CCTV systems will be able to do smarter things with images, similar to the difference in what your mobile phone can do nowadays compared to what it could do ten years ago.
“No matter how advanced CCTV technology becomes, it’s what you do with the images that matters, and there are strict rules set down by the Information Commissioner on this.”
Responding to the comment on the power of facial recognition algorithms, Mr Carmichael said:
“Such accuracy in detecting and identifying known criminals should only be of concern to those who have committed a crime, and should reduce the risk of innocent people being wrongly accused or convicted of a crime.”
Acknowledging that the surveillance camera commissioner has a difficult task balancing personal privacy and public safety, Mr Carmichael added:
“I am sure he will get a lot of support from all stakeholders, but statements such as ‘technology has overtaken our ability to regulate’ is unhelpful, as technology is just a tool – it’s how you use it that counts, and in the case of CCTV, it’s about ensuring that public CCTV meets a defined need within defined legal parameters. Nobody, especially any governmental body, can halt the advance of technology.”
