'Talking' CCTV

Traffic camera

Wednesday, 04, Apr 2007 12:00

'Talking' CCTV cameras which tell people off for anti-social behaviour are to be rolled out across the country in a £500,000 scheme led by the home secretary John Reid.

The talking cameras, which have been piloted in Middlesbrough, are monitored by staff in a control centre. If they notice someone committing anti-social behaviour, such as graffiti or littering, they can flick a switch and reprimand the offender via a loudspeaker.

The cameras are to be installed in 20 areas across the country.

Louise Casey, the government's coordinator for its respect agenda, said the cameras were aimed at the small minority who "litter our streets, vandalise our communities and damage our properties".

Mr Reid is planning to hold competitions at local schools to select children as the voice of the cameras.

"By funding and supporting these local schemes, the government is encouraging children to send this clear message to grown ups - act anti-socially and you will face the shame of being publicly embarrassed," Mr Reid said.

Critics and civil liberties groups have criticised the scheme as a further step towards a "big brother" state.

There are an estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain, despite a Home Office report published four years ago which concluded that they were seven times less effective at cutting crime than the installation of better street lighting.

A recent report by the government privacy watchdog warned that Britain was sleepwalking into a "surveillance society".