Not in the picture

The Daily Telegraph reported Scotland Yard' CCTV expert during the weeks , that the use of surveillance cameras as part of the surveillance society was "utter fiasco".

It seems that only about 3% of London's street robberies had been solved by video evidence. Indeed about 80% of all film is effectively worthless.

Billions of pounds have been spent on installing cameras, with over 80% by private businesses, but there are over 400 different formats. The police thus have to use private equipment of different format and different quality, and the owners may retain film for different periods before over-recording. The police often lack manpower and willingness to spend weeks looking through film with different formats and quality, so it may only be the very serious crime where this occurs.

We are all familiar with stories of speed cameras which have no film, or a full film has not been replaced. It seems that criminals have come to believe that CCTV cameras are not working, will not have sufficient definition or can be defeated by wearing a hood.

Are you in the picture? Possibly not, despite the cameras.