Big Brother Is Watching You

[Sebrof]

I could understand there'd be reason to have CCTV coverage of the Promenade - or at least the trouble hotspots. That could make sense especially if there was also live monitoring during 'peak' trouble times and this was used as tactical tool for rapid response. If Henderson has specific proposals like that in mind it would be better to spell these out rather than just 'more CCTV' which I think one should rightly be very wary of.

 

 

I thought Operation Centurion had sorted out the troubles on the prom.

Didn't they go to America to get an award?

Or was that last year?

Project Centurion was a great initiative with great results in 33% reduction in crime on the Prom (and yes, it did get an award, that was in 2005).

 

Rough guess is even with better transport which is what Centurion focussed on, the Promenade still accounts for 25% of all IoM's reported assaults, 30% of all recorded public order offences, and 12.5% of all criminal damage reports. Key times are between 6pm and 4am on Friday and Saturday nights - particularly weekend of month after payday.

 

Earlier this month someone was assaulted in the area of the Castlemona Shops on Central Promenade.

http://www.manxforums.com/forums/index.php...mp;hl=promenade

 

CCTV I think would be proportionate in area which accounts for such a high proportion of all crime in IoM (probably now about 20%) especially assaults, criminal damage and public order offences. Live monitoring during these 'peak hours' makes sense and allow rapid response to trouble. Personally I think the nightclubs bars and shops open after 6pm ought to pay for this.

 

And even better, chuck the cameras and let the benefitting businesses pay for two or three coppers to be on patrol in the area during peak hours.

 

Then, short mandatory jail terms for kicking people in the head.

 

S

[Skeddan]

Which is the better deterrent to crime?

 

More police activity on the streets particulaly at night and on foot with police dogs

 

or

 

a system to collect film footage for use as possible evidence after the crime is over and the victim has been robbed or assaulted?

 

CCTV is the policing you have when you don't have police...

Er, neither. How often to police on foot just happen to come across crime? That's the problem with the whole 'bobbies on the beat' mantra - the chances of a police officer coming across some criminal activity whilst wandering the street are pretty slim, even over here.

 

To frame you question a different way, what's better: an anti-crime strategy based on fear, or one based on observation?

Last week a friend of mine had her work laptop snatched at Piccadilly Circus Underground Station. CCTV didn't work as a deterrent, and isn't going to catch the thief. (Even if identified, there is too much 'reasonable doubt' to identify conclusively, and the ones who make the grab hand over to someone else almost immediately, and the cost of investigation etc. would be huge).

 

There's no single across the board anti-crime strategy. Different initiatives are needed in response to different types of crime according to local conditions (in fact Operation Centurion shows just how successful some simple innovative 'non-conventional' approaches and interventions can be - in that case reducing crime by improving public transport services, so tackling an underlying factor in crime rate). CCTV has not been a panacea and the mistake is thinking this is an 'across the board' anti-crime strategy that will work effectively wherever it is rolled-out - a 'magic solution'.

 

Neither more police presence nor CCTV are all-in-one 'Mr fixit' solutions - these are just tools - there are many tools can be used, and you choose your tools according to what's best to get the results in the given situation.

 

IMO politicians shouldn't take it upon themselves to direct anti-crime strategy - that should be left to the police. Fair enough to raise issues and concerns about crime levels and ask police for proposals on how to tackle these, and what legislative changes or resource might be needed to assist the police with this. (probably with select committee for this purpose where politicians discuss and review strategies and proposals with police and other groups). Operation Centurion shows how successful the police can be, and how they are better placed to get to grips with the issues when working with others to develop solutions.

 

The biggest issue I have with Bill Henderson's proposals really comes down to this - I don't think an MHK should take it upon himself to call for CCTV as a solution - that is a kind of NuLabour approach where politicians assume a role that is not really theirs, and start driving political solutions rather than facilitating real world solutions. It's skewy, ineffective, and slides into a dangerous shift in the balance of power towards a centralised 'politburo' style government - one which will likely introduce ever more heavy-handed measures to combat worsening problems arising from their ineffective solutions. (CCTV, then ID Cards, Databases, fingerprinting, etc. snowballing towards a police state - when maybe just better public transport and the like might have solved the real world problem much more simply and effectively).

[Wake Up Call]

CCTV is all over the place. Everytime you have a pint, chances are you are being recorded and some of your finest moments are in the can at the end of a night out. It has been like that for years and to me, has never been an issue.

[conradthewoollyllama]

"Could it be to deter vandals when the school is closed?"

 

I highly doubt it, at CRHS they had absoloutly no idea who scrawled the 4 foot high "Shave your legs Tomo" along with other 'gems', despite all the CCTV they installed.

 

I don't have a problem with CCTV if it's actually used properly, but there's no point in it if the picture's not a decent quality and the tapes are not secure.

 

When they get it right, they can use it all they like. It's not a deterrant (sp) now, as people know how useless it is, but if it was known to be more effective then it's likely to make people think twice, and lead to more convictions.

 

Edit: Crappy spelling which i probably havn't improved on much.