Liberty: CCTV is a waste of money

Wednesday, 04, Apr 2007 12:00

The human rights group Liberty has spoken out against the government's plans to roll out a 'talking' CCTV system across Britain.

A spokesperson for the group pointed out that "the Home Office has already poured 78 per cent of the crime prevention budget into CCTV over the last decade without assessing its effectiveness.

"Surely this money would be better spent on a proven crime deterrent such as more police officers on our streets rather than a gimmick like talking cameras?”

One Home Office review, published four years ago, concluded that CCTV was seven times less effective at cutting crime than improved street lighting.

The UK is currently the most watched society on earth, having more CCTV cameras than any other country.