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Security Cameras 101 10/26/05 |
This article chronicles the evolution of
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), from banks to transit stations.
(JND) — Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), as a collection of
surveillance cameras doing video surveillance, is the use of television cameras for surveillance. It differs from broadcast television in that all components are directly linked via cables or other direct means. CCTV is often used in areas where there is an increased need for security, such as banks, casinos, and airports. The use of CCTVs in public places has increased, causing debate over security vs. privacy.
CCTV was initially developed as a means of increasing security in banks. Today it has developed to the point where it is simple and inexpensive enough to be used in home security systems, and for surveillance.
In the United Kingdom, initial experiments in the 1970s and 1980s (including
outdoor CCTV being installed in Bournemouth in 1985), led to in several larger trial programs in the early 1990s. These were deemed successful in the government report "CCTV: Looking Out For You," issued by the Home Office in 1994, and paved a way with massive increase in the number of
CCTV systems installed. Nowadays systems cover most town and city centres, and many stations, car parks and estates. The exact number of
CCTV cameras in the UK is not known. A 2002 working paper by Michael McCahill and Clive Norris of UrbanEye, based on a small sample in Putney High Street, "guesstimated" the number of
surveillance cameras in private premises in London as around 400,000 and the total number of cameras in the UK as around 4,000,000.
Claims that they reduce or deter crime have not been clearly borne out by independent studies; though the government claims that when properly used they do result in deterrence, rather than displacement. One clear effect that has been is a reduction of car crime when used in car parks. Cameras have also been installed in taxis in various parts of the country, to deter violence against drivers, and also in mobile police surveillance vans. In some cases
CCTV cameras have become a target of attacks themselves.
The use of CCTV in the United States is less prevalent, though increasing, and generally meets stronger opposition. In 1998 3,000
CCTV systems were found in New York City.
The most measurable effect of
CCTV cameras is not on crime prevention, but on detection and prosecution. Several notable murder cases have been solved with the use of CCTV evidence, notably the Jamie Bulger case, and catching David Copeland, the Soho nail bomber. The use of CCTV to track the movements of missing children is now routine.
After the bombings of London on 7 July 2005, CCTV footage was used to identify the bombers. The media was surprised that few tube trains actually had
CCTV cameras, and there were some calls for this to be increased.
Source: juiceenewsdaily.com
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