As the technology is rolled out in another 20 locations, I believe that care must be taken over the implementation of this type of system such that effective guidelines are in place regarding when an audio ‘challenge’ – which can be a powerful weapon against crime – is (or is not) appropriate. Moving forward, what those of us with the best interests of the CCTV industry at heart do not want to see is ‘talking CCTV’ being trivialised as a way of simply ‘scolding’ individuals, or adding to existing concerns regarding State intrusion into their lives.
It has also been worrying to see that the coverage of ‘talking CCTV’ in the mainstream media has singularly failed to mention that CCTV with an associated audio challenge is nothing new. In fact, there have been systems on the market since the early 1990s offering such a capability.
A good example from the commercial sector is remotely monitored, detector-activated CCTV, where BSIA members report that this technology has proven to be effective at deterring criminals in over 90% of incidents.
The failure of the mainstream media to pick up on this sadly displays an inability – in what is now a ’24-hour news’ culture – to step back and place CCTV in context.
I believe that it’s time to redress the balance where CCTV is concerned, and make sure that its positive application in the fight against crime in commercial premises (which now accounts for the majority of surveillance systems operational in the UK) is afforded the attention it rightly deserves.
It must certainly not be lost in the hype that now surrounds initiatives such as ‘talking CCTV’.
