US to emulate UK surveillance network

Story link: US to emulate UK surveillance network by Jan Harris

The UK network of around 4 million surveillance cameras is credited with playing a major role in the fight against terrorist and the US now seems set to follow the UK’s lead in the deployment of CCTV.

In New York, there are plans to fit hundreds of Manhattan buses with cameras. Motion sensors could also be installed in subways and commuter rail facilities.

Some European coutries are also considering further deployment of CCTV. The new French President, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, is considering a plan to install more cameras on public transport.

In an interview published in ‘Le Journal du Dimanche’ Mr Sarkozy said “In my mind, there is no contradiction between respecting individual freedoms and the installation of cameras to protect everyone’s security.”

Britain began using CCTV in response to IRA terrorism. After a series of truck bombings in the late 1990s, officials developed a system of 240 cameras in central London.

There are so many of the cameras in Britain that it is possible for police to track the movements of every single care in the country.

The increasing deployment of CCTV and other monitoring technologies has raised privacy concerns.

In Sweden recently, plans for 58 surveillance cameras in the city of Malmo were turned down, as they were considered too intrusive.