CCTV for use outside government special facilities was developed as a means of increasing security in banks. Today it has developed to the point where it is simple and inexpensive enough to be used in home security systems, and for surveillance.
Surveillance of public areas in the United Kingdom by CCTV was developed partly in response to IRA bombings. Experiments in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s (including outdoor CCTV in Bournemouth in 1985), led to several larger trial programs in the early 1990s. These were deemed successful in the government report "CCTV: Looking Out For You", issued by the Home Office in 1994, and paved the way for a massive increase in the number of CCTV systems installed.
Today, systems cover most town and city centres, and many stations, car-parks and estates. The exact number of CCTV cameras in the UK is not known but an estimate was made in 2002 of the number of surveillance cameras in private premises in London to be around 400,000 and the total number of cameras in the UK around 4,000,000. This means that UK had about one camera for every 14 people.
Claims that they reduce or deter crime have not been clearly borne out by independent studies, though the government claims that when properly used they do result in deterrence, rather than displacement. One clear effect that has been noted is a reduction of car crime when used in car parks. Cameras have also been installed in taxis to deter violence against drivers, and also in mobile police surveillance vans. In some cases CCTV cameras have become a target of attacks themselves.
The use of CCTV in the United States is less common, though increasing, and generally meets stronger opposition. In 1998 3,000 CCTV systems were found in New York City. There are 2,200 CCTV systems in Chicago.
Indeed in the worrying times of terrorism CCTV can be a very useful deterrent, or prevention method as the police are able to watch suspicious racial behaviour and religious sects that are a cause for concern. On the 7th of July the men believed to be responsible for the attacks were captured on CCTV and identified, leading to arrests being made and further attacks thwarted. After the bombings of London, CCTV footage was used to identify the bombers. The media was surprised that few tube trains actually had CCTV cameras, and there were some calls for this to be increased.
There is some debate as to how much of a deterrent CCTV is, but it is generally accepted by most businesses that it is an extremely cost effective means of preventing criminal activity on or near their property. The real area where CCTV demonstrates its usefulness is in crime detection and prosecution.