One Crime Solved Per 1,000 London CCTV Cameras

Is prevention better than cure?

It seems to have little deterent effect from the footage we see, which is often of inadequate resolution to gain a conviction.

Dunno really....is there information overload where there is so much video it can only ever be used retrospectively?
A bit like those wretched motorway signs which only ever tell you what was happening half an hour ago...or warn you of a problem ahead when you are already in the traffic jam.
Has anyone ever met a motorway sign which gave them useful information? Just askin'...
Del

BRIDGE OUT AHEAD was very usefull and informative!

I'm convinced that there is a deterrent effect. For about two years, I parked in a street with no CCVT - which had occupied houses along one side. I had 4 break-ins and 2 cars stolen.

I started parking a bit further away (only about 20 yds) in a street with a CCTV camera pod at the corner. No occupied houses along either side.

Touch wood, no break-ins or any other damage for the past two years.

I think you just made a very (sad but) valid point.......

The bad boys know where the cameras are, it is now time to hide them......but it might get worse before it gets better......

I think they should replace the million cameras with a million street corner cops. Crime wouldn't go down, but at least they could help little old ladies cross the streets.

Most annoyingly, these cameras have so far been completely useless in the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for recklessly approving the funds to buy 1 million + cameras.

its great for movies though....has anyone seen the Bourne trilogy

• The Bourne Ultimatum
• The Bourne Identity
• The Bourne Supremacy

Too bad they can't get royalties

ya but isnt 8 better then 0. um let me see 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 yep it is.

You are correct if you don't mind paying for a million plus cameras and the infrastructure to install, run, maintain, and examine all the data to catch eight criminals.

No problem, just raise taxes.

Let's think way out of the box! I'll bet one installed camera costs at least $25,000 by the time it is installed and wired up.

Why not just pay 1 million would-be criminals $25,000 each to not commit the crime in the first place?

Not only would crime go way down, but it would also double as an economic stimulus "Bill" as well as the would-be criminals spend that hard won cash on drugs, cigarettes, liquor, and lottery tickets!

Why not just pay 1 million would-be criminals $25,000 each to not commit the crime in the first place?

Crime pays....hell no.........make prison terms shorter, but more brutal. ie make them pay for their crimes. Not reward them.

It was satire. ;-)

now that was funny....

It doesn't surprise me. Here in the South of England my office is at the end of a cul-de-sac (dead-end street) There is a police CCTV camera in the street which we and other businesses helped fund. We were burgled repeatedly yet the police would not review the recordings to see identify the vehicles leaving and the public is not allowed to review the recordings either for Data Protection purposes.

Furthermore even with DNA evidence from a cigarette butt pointing to a known criminal no charges were brought as "we could not prove the man was there without permission"! Bearing in mind we had been a non-smoking building for the last 40 years, there was a broken window ,and we log all visitors in and out of the building, it was evident that the police had no interest in solving this type of crime and little interest in preventing it.

Subsequently the building was expensively modified to resemble a fortress and there were no successful break-ins although damage was caused in the attempts.

1 crime solved per 1000 cameras - I am surprised it is that high.