In Europe there has been a steadily growing campaign during the last five years to restrict the use of Video Surveillance in public areas. It has been based on the assumption that it infringes on the privacy and liberties of citizens. Since the August Riots in major cities in the UK, “Big Brother Watch” has been silent because many of the million plus CCTV cameras in the UK played a pivotal role in bringing about swift justice to the perpetrators; this will act as a strong deterrent to others. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that nearly 3,300 notifiable offences have been reported so far following the outbreaks of disorder across London, and that 1,875 people have been charged in London alone. The Force had around 20,000 hours of CCTV footage to trawl through and it is expected that this will increase as the investigation progresses. Not even the most die-hard supporter of Video Surveillance lays […]