[pp.int.general] CCTV reports (at last!)

[Andrew Norton]

This is all too true. CCTV rarely deters crime, its generally more usefull for the investigation of one that's already been committed. indeed, the UK police drama 'The bill' (www.thebill.co.uk) routinely relys on CCTV footage to solve the majority of the crimes shown. indeed, it's to the point ont he show that the first thing anyone asks in the show is 'was there any cctv footage there" if the answer is no, they go "well, collect any tapes from around the area then, we might get lucky with some leads".

Its shamefull. Really it is, I'm ashamed, sometimes, to call myself british.

Andrew Norton
Pirate Party US


On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 01:05:10 +0200, "Amelia Andersdotter" <teirdes at gmail.com> wrote:
> Two reports on presumed efficiency of CCTV in the UK. The first report
> is from 2005, the second one is at least published after 2000. It
> would seem that all the criminological reports or any investigations
> made on this topic comes directly from Home Office, since most
> independent institutes I've been able to locate are currently without
> funding.
> 
> If anyone would like to negate no-independent institutes I would feel
> more at ease. However, I've abstracted some parts from each of these
> reports.
> 
> http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hors292.pdf
> 
> 1st paragraph 6: Conclusions:
> "It would be easy to conclude from the information presented in this
> report that CCTV is not effective: the majority of the schemes
> evaluated did not reduce crime and even where there was a reduction
> this was mostly not due to CCTV; nor did CCTV schemes make people feel
> safer, much less change their behaviour. That, however, would be too
> simplistic a conclusion, and for several reasons."
> 
> EDIT: http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/cctv/cctv33.pdf
> 
> page 44-45:
> "Results compared to the schemes objectives
> Certainly from a politician's point of view regardless of
> methodological loopholes Gillingham, as a town with CCTV, witnessed a
> 35 % reduction in crime over a five year period and Strood without
> CCTV a minimal 0.05 % reduction. Anyone involved with the scheme will
> herald results like these as making it a success however 'success' was
> defined by the GSCP as:
> 
> A 25 % reduction in criminal damage, a 15 % reduction of assaults and
> disturbances, a 40 % reduction of car crime and six arrests within the
> first six months for drug dealing. (GSCP, 1996)
> 
> The following table, table 7, shows percentages for the crimes cited
> in the GSCP bid:
> 
> [Tabell 7]
> 
> Table 7 demonstrates that none of the GSCP target were actually met (...)"
> 
> --Amelia
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