Scyron launches new DEMON software
Story link: Scyron launches new DEMON software by Jan Harris
Birmingham-based Scyron has launched new DEMON digital evidence management software which has helped West Midlands Police cut the length of the Aston Riots trial by around three weeks and secure 11 convictions.
The trial involved 321 crimes, 2 murders and 5,000 hours of CCTV footage.
Scyron’s DEMON technology allows CCTV and video footage, digital photographs, mobile [...]
Council debates future of Leedswatch system
Story link: Council debates future of Leedswatch system by Jan Harris
The CCTV system in Leeds, a service known as Leedswatch, was recently the subject of the ‘CCTV Cities’ programme on Channel 5.
The Leedswatch service provides one of the largest CCTV camera networks in Europe.
The programme showed several incidents where the city’s huge network of 350 cameras, covering 240 square miles, helped to make [...]
Councils use surveillance to catch fly-tippers
Story link: Councils use surveillance to catch fly-tippers by Jan Harris
Local authorities are increasingly using high-tech methods to catch fly tippers.
Hart District Council has been in the news recently regarding its plan to buy £15,000-worth of CCTV cameras to monitor fly-tipping hotspots in Hart, Hampshire.
This could be a cost-effective use of council money if it reduces the £20,000 a year which the [...]
Tories would tighten CCTV controls
Story link: Tories would tighten CCTV controls by Jan Harris
In a recent speech to the Society of Conservative Lawyers, Shadow home secretary, David Davis, expressed concern that widespread use of CCTV could violate civil liberties.
Mr Davis suggested that a Conservative government would introduce new rules governing the use of CCTV.
He also wants penalties to be introduced for anyone using CCTV cameras in [...]
CameraWatch finds problems with schools’ CCTV
Story link: CameraWatch finds problems with schools’ CCTV by Jan Harris
CameraWatch an independent advisory body on CCTV and surveillance technology, has discovered serious errors in the way that CCTV cameras are used in schools.
The organisation surveyed 60 schools across the UK and found that none of them were complying with the Data Protection Act.
The main problems identified were failure to display notices warning [...]
Met Officer claims CCTV doesn’t cut crime
Story link: Met Officer claims CCTV doesn’t cut crime by Jan Harris
A senior officer from the Met has raised doubts about the use of CCTV to reduce crime.
Detective Chief Inspector Neville’s comments come at a time when Britain is widely regarded as the surveillance capital of Europe, with an estimated 4.2 million closed circuit television watching its citizens every day.
In fact Britain has just [...]
CCTV car patrols school run
Story link: CCTV car patrols school run by Jan Harris
In a move that is likely to add fuel to the argument that Britain is becoming a surveillance society, Harrow Council has started monitoring the school run with a specially adapted smart car.
The car, which is equipped with a CCTV camera mounted on a 15ft mast, is being used to catch parents who park [...]
Nanny cams cause concern
Story link: Nanny cams cause concern by Jan Harris
Parents in the UK are increasingly using ‘nanny cams’ to check that their children are being safely cared for.
The in-home surveillance technology is popular in the USA, but UK sales are now increasing rapidly according to online retailers such as eBay.
A variety of wireless cameras are available which can be concealed in household [...]
Lisburn CCTV turned off
Story link: Lisburn CCTV turned off by Jan Harris
Lisburn Commerce Against Crime, a charity run by a voluntary board, has been forced to turn off CCTV cameras in Lisburn and the surrounding area, due to a shortfall in funding.
The organisation has switched off the award-winning system indefinitely, raising concern that crime could increase as a result.
Lisburn Commerce Against Crime has been [...]
Survey highlights importance of home security
Story link: Survey highlights importance of home security by Jan Harris
According to a survey carried out by Intamac Systems Ltd, a quarter of households in the UK have been burgled, and 86% of these homes were not protected by a security system when the burglary occurred.
Several reasons were given for this lack of security provision, including prohibitive costs, insufficient free time to install the [...]
CCTV monitoring of parking offences criticised
Story link: CCTV monitoring of parking offences criticised by Jan Harris
New regulations will be introduced on 1 April, allowing district councils to use CCTV cameras to issue parking tickets, but some Councils won’t be rushing to make use of their new powers.
Under the optional new powers provided by changes to the Traffic Management Act, wardens will be able to issue a ticket remotely, instead [...]
Plans for ‘mugshot’ database revealed
Story link: Plans for ‘mugshot’ database revealed by Jan Harris
Plans for a database of ‘mugshots’, which could be used in conjunction with CCTV to help identify criminals, were revealed at a Government inquiry into the ‘Surveillance Society’.
Speaking at the home affairs committee inquiry, Peter Neyroud, chief executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency, described how mobile devices could be used by police to [...]
Dundee trials CCTV in taxis
Story link: Dundee trials CCTV in taxis by Jan Harris
Dundee Council is fitting CCTV cameras into six taxis in the city, in a six-month trial of the technology.
The cameras will monitor the whole car and will be able to record sound. They will also be equipped with infrared for night monitoring.
Footage taken by the cameras will be encrypted, and will be [...]
500,000 CCTV cameras to monitor Olympics
Story link: 500,000 CCTV cameras to monitor Olympics by Jan Harris
The Metropolitan Police (Met) force’s plan to police the 2012 Olympics includes the use of up to 500,000 CCTV cameras.
The Met hopes to use its own network of 10,000 cameras, together with traffic and congestion cameras across London.
The military, police and intelligence services would work together to operate the network from a [...]
Northumberland school buses fitted with CCTV
Story link: Northumberland school buses fitted with CCTV by Jan Harris
Northumberland County Council has decided to install CCTV cameras in school buses in the county, in order to deter bad behaviour among pupils.
The cameras will be part of a pilot scheme designed to improve safety on the buses.
It is hoped that the £70,000 project will have a strong deterrent effect by making it [...]
72% of Scots against CCTV eavesdropping
Story link: 72% of Scots against CCTV eavesdropping by Jan Harris
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched its new CCTV code of practice at the Scottish Parliament today, and also released details of a survey of a thousand people in Scotland.
Seventy-two per cent of respondents to the survey were against CCTV cameras which record conversations. This supports an earlier survey in London and South East [...]
GMB union calls for CCTV in all minicabs
Story link: GMB union calls for CCTV in all minicabs by Jan Harris
The GMB union’s Professional Drivers Branch is planning to lobby the Department of Transport to support the installation of CCTV in all minicabs.
The GMB wants to alert the public to the increasing number of attacks on minicab drivers, through events on Workers Memorial Day (28th April 2008).
There were 45 serious attacks on licensed [...]
ICO bans CCTV voice recording
Story link: ICO bans CCTV voice recording by Jan Harris
Hidden microphones mounted on CCTV cameras are to be banned under a new code of practice being launched by the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas.
The Information Commissioner believes that the camera microphones, some of which which can listen in to private conversations up to 100 yards away, are a serious breach of civil liberties.
The new code [...]
Liberty calls for regulations on household CCTV
Story link: Liberty calls for regulations on household CCTV by Jan Harris
Human rights organisation, Liberty, is calling for CCTV legislation to be updated to take into account the growing number of cameras being installed by householders in the UK.
With increasing concern over levels of crime, and CCTV technology becoming more readily available and affordable, many householders are installing systems on their own property in an [...]
Council approves CCTV for Lerwick
Story link: Council approves CCTV for Lerwick by Jan Harris
Shetland Islands Council has approved the installation of 13 CCTV cameras in Lerwick town centre.
An application for one additional camera will be considered by planners in February.
Images from the Council’s new £200,000 CCTV system will be relayed to Lerwick police station for recording and monitoring.
The decision to approve the system is a [...]