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| Britain |
| CCTV Police Cameras Now Barking Orders At Citizens |
| 2006-09-17 |
| Big Brother is not only watching you - now he's barking orders too. Britain's first 'talking' CCTV cameras have arrived, publicly berating bad behaviour and shaming offenders into acting more responsibly. The system allows control room operators who spot any anti-social acts - from dropping litter to late-night brawls - to send out a verbal warning: 'We are watching you'. Middlesbrough has fitted loudspeakers on seven of its 158 cameras in an experiment already being hailed as a success. Jack Bonner, who manages the system, said: 'It is one hell of a deterrent. It's one thing to know that there are CCTV cameras about, but it's quite another when they loudly point out what you have just done wrong. 'Most people are so ashamed and embarrassed at being caught they quickly slink off without further trouble. 'There was one incident when two men started fighting outside a nightclub. One of the control room operators warned them over the loudspeakers and they looked up, startled, stopped fighting and scarpered in opposite directions. 'This isn't about keeping tabs on people, it's about making the streets safer for the law-abiding majority and helping to change the attitudes of those who cause trouble. It challenges unacceptable behaviour and makes people think twice.' The Mail on Sunday watched as a cyclist riding through a pedestrian area was ordered to stop. 'Would the young man on the bike please get off and walk as he is riding in a pedestrian area,' came the command. The surprised youth stopped, and looked about. A look of horror spread across his face as he realised the voice was referring to him. He dismounted and wheeled his bike through the crowded streets, as instructed. Law-abiding shopper Karen Margery, 40, was shocked to hear the speakers spring into action as she walked past them. Afterwards she said: 'It's quite scary to realise that your every move could be monitored - it really is like Big Brother. 'But Middlesbrough does have a big problem with anti-social behaviour, so it is very reassuring.' The scheme has been introduced by Middlesbrough mayor Ray Mallon, a former police superintendent who was dubbed Robocop for pioneering the zero-tolerance approach to crime. He believes the talking cameras will dramatically cut not just anti-social behaviour, but violent crime, too. And if the city centre scheme proves a success, it will be extended into residential areas. The control room operators have been given strict guidelines about what commands they can give. Yelling 'Oi you, stop that', is not permitted. Instead, their instructions make the following suggestions: 'Warning - you are being monitored by CCTV - Warning - you are in an alcohol-free zone, please refrain from drinking'; and Warning - your behaviour is being monitored by CCTV. It is being recorded and the police are attending.' Mr Bonner said: 'We always make the requests polite, and if the offender obeys, the operator adds 'thank you'. We think that's a nice finishing touch. 'It would appear that the offenders are the only ones who find the audio cameras intrusive. The vast majority of people welcome these cameras. 'Put it this way, we never have requests to remove them.' But civil rights campaigners have argued that the talking cameras are no 'magic bullet', in the fight against crime. Liberty spokesman Doug Jewell said: 'None of us likes litterbugs or yobs playing up on a Saturday night, but talking CCTV cameras are no substitute for police officers on the beat.' "Attention: Fat, balding man in brown stretch pants! YOU ARE WORTHLESS AND WEAK! NOW DROP AND GIVE ME 20! And ladies, YOU ARE ORDERED TO REMOVE YOUR TOPS AND DO JUMPING JACKS! BRAS, TOO! AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT! HUP! HUP!" |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #9 Brits must be awash in $$$ iff their surveillance systems can go from watching to warning. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-09-17 23:59 |
| #8 The biggest problem I can imagine in the future is the enforcement of petty, frivolous, and ill-conceived local laws. As many as 50% of the laws on the books in some places are never enforced, because they are silly, unlawful, or poorly written. For example, can you imagine how awful it would be for pedestrians to be barked at for jaywalking, all day, on a underused sidestreet between two businesses with considerable traffic between them? Say, if in the course of a day you crossed that street five or ten times, and the police wanted you to walk a block out of your way just to use the intersection? Almost never any danger, *but* *it* *is* *the* *law*. Conversely, a group of teenagers peacefully gathers on a spot on a public street. Do the police have the right to "shoo" them away, just because they don't like them standing there? Same with a couple making out. For some reason, lots of police hate to see couples kissing in public. A man walking his dog. "Clean that up!" With what? "I don't care, pick it up with your hand!" It is a good indicator of ineffectual government when they are obsessive about the little things in peoples' lives. It means that they aren't dealing with the big things they were hired to take care of. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-09-17 16:26 |
| #7 I can just see one of these in America, the video highlights would be hilarious Well you don't have to look very far. There are hundreds of them now, all over the US, mostly in the parking lots of cenvenience stores, near ATMs, and other loitering and possible crime problem areas. Right now I only know of two systems that are monitored by police; the rest are monitored by private security. They literally yell through the speaker at the loiterers, and tell them to get the hell off the premises. It seems to work. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-09-17 15:00 |
| #6 If a civilian oversight group monitors the police monitors, this might work. The surveillance tapes and the officer’s statements could be archived. If a citizen complained about harassment then a civilian representative could review the tape and the officer’s action. If the tape “disappeared”, that would be a strong indicator of official misconduct. Such as system could improve public safety while also protecting individual rights. (AI programs are being developed to recognize unusual behavior. An AI could filter video from many sites to alert a police monitor of suspicious activity. Local citizen groups could also be recruited to monitor public cameras.) The “broken window” affect in which attention to minor crimes reduces major crime is relevant. People behave differently when they are aware someone is watching. Even putting a picture of a “watching” face in a public place affects behavior. (In the experiment people took smaller portions of free food, presumably because under scrutiny they didn’t want to take more than a fair share.) Re: “Put one in rhe Mayor's office, Home, and any place he frequents,…” If the Mayor were in public, he would be monitored, as would everyone else. His private activities should be protected by the same laws that protect all citizens. |
| Posted by: Hupeger Creamble4059 2006-09-17 14:42 |
| #5 I can just see one of these in America So can I, and in less than five minutes it would probably be peppered worse than a rural Texas stop sign. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-17 14:03 |
| #4 I can just see one of these in America, the video highlights would be hilarious. |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-09-17 13:41 |
| #3 Put one in rhe Mayor's office, Home, and any place he frequents, allow the citizens to comment on his "Transgressions" and see how long the cameras stay active. My guess is about one day. Sauce for the Goose....... |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-09-17 12:15 |
| #2 It's much easier to bark at one's own local citizens through a loudspeaker and camera than it is to root out the violent Islamicists that would destroy their society. So guess which one they're doing? |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-09-17 12:10 |
| #1 "Demolition Man" comes immediately to mind, where the wall mounted monitors printed out a small fine for any misbehaviour, and Stalone used them to wipe his ass. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-09-17 11:15 |