CCTV

What is CCTV?

'CCTV' stands for closed circuit television.

CCTV is used for a number of monitoring and surveillance purposes, but is mainly used for security purposes.

CCTV involves the use of an unmanned, remotely mounted video camera system, transmitting live pictures back to a television screen where developments can be monitored and recorded.


Background

CCTV was first developed in the late 1970s and was initially confined to high-risk security targets, such as banks.

The units were expensive and picture quality was poor for a long time, with the vague grainy silhouettes of fugitives attracting some public derision when broadcast on programmes such as 'Crimewatch'.

Since then, the quality of CCTV has improved dramatically and the use of CCTV has risen exponentially, with shops and the police the primary consumers of the technology.

Modern CCTV cameras are now capable of remote operation and produce high-resolution colour picture quality. CCTV has come so far that it is now capable of recognising individual car number plates and recording them on central databases. The congestion-charging scheme introduced in London in 2003 is an example of the advancing potential of CCTV technology.


Controversies

The development of CCTV was felt by many to be a major breakthrough in crime prevention. It forms a major part of crime prevention strategy in the UK and is often used as important evidence in court trials and in the identification of suspects. CCTV may have other deterrence and safety-related benefits, although these are debated.

However, the proliferation of CCTV cameras in public places has led to some unease about the erosion of civil liberties and individual human rights, along with warnings of an Orwellian 'big brother' culture.

Critics of CCTV say that constant CCTV surveillance of public places is intrusive and a breach of privacy. What is done with recorded CCTV footage is also a matter of some controversy.

This complaint is illustrated by the case of Geoffrey Peck, who was 'caught' on CCTV in 1995 attempting to commit suicide on Brentford town centre High Street. The footage was then widely disseminated to the public at large, without his consent. In 2003, the European Court of Human Rights found that, although Mr Peck was in a 'public' place he was still entitled to some privacy and that it was not foreseeable for him to have expected so much public exposure.

Therefore, the Court considered the use of the material and the lack of remedial relief under UK law to be a breach of Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to respect for family and private life, and the UK was ordered to pay compensation to Mr Peck.

The case highlighted potential gaps in the UK's protection of individual privacy and helped influence MP's calls for the introduction of a free standing privacy law in 2003.

Statistics

In 1990, there were three town centre schemes in the UK with approximately 100 cameras

In 1994, there were 16 town centre schemes with approximately 400 cameras

In 1997, there were 167 schemes with approximately 5,238 cameras

By the end of 2002, there were an estimated 500 systems with 40,000 cameras

Between 1999 and 2003 the Home Office pledged £170 million for CCTV schemes

Statistics: (Source: NACRO report 'To CCTV or not to CCTV?', 2002)


Quotes

"Three quarters of the Home Office Crime Prevention budget was spent on CCTV between 1996 and 1998, yet a comprehensive review has revealed the overall reduction in crime was only five per cent. A parallel systematic review carried out by the Home Office that looked at street lighting, however, found a highly significant reduction in crime of twenty per cent."

NACRO, 'To CCTV or not to CCTV?', 2002

"CCTV has a broadly positive reception from members of the general public. Levels of concern are not high and CCTV is assumed to be effective in crime control. However, public acceptance is based on limited, and partly inaccurate knowledge of the functions and capabilities of CCTV systems in public places."

Home Office report, 'CCTV in Public Places', 1991

"Big Brother is Watching You."

George Orwell, '1984', 1948