Public opinion of CCTV is largely centred around two main issues; invasion of privacy and crime prevention. While many people admit to feeling safer in areas with CCTV, a significant proportion of these people also expressed concern at the idea of having CCTV too near their area of residence.
The success of CCTV in reducing incidents of crime and disorder and the fear of crime in the areas covered has been marked. Information from North Wales Police indicates that the introduction of CCTV together with the development of the Town Centre Police Team led to a 52% reduction in crime within the town centre in the first year of operation.
From local focus group research on crime and disorder, confirmed by the findings of the community needs assessment, it is clear that CCTV has also contributed to reducing the fear of crime and increased the perception of security in areas covered by camera networks. Significant investment on CCTV has taken place within many town centres and has produced results matching these studies. Government and industry surveys of public opinion show significant support for the use of CCTV within the town centre.
Of those people whose overall views support increased use of CCTV in urban areas the largest significant demographic is among older citizens (55+) and women, who cited reasons of safety and reduced anxiety when in areas visibly monitored with such systems.
Further studies have shown:
- ï€ CCTV was successful in promoting feelings of safety with little evidence that it impinged on the individual.
- The majority of respondents felt that CCTV cameras were effective in cutting crime.,/
- A small but significant percentage felt they infringed their individual rights.
- and finally there were some interviewees who expressed the feeling that although they understood the benefits of CCTV they felt it was a necessary evil and was a sad reflection on society.
Although The biggest fear expressed by the public is the perceived risk to their civil liberties and an infringement on their human rights, should the use of CCTV continue to increase. This fear is further amplified by the vision of a possible Orwellian future should the police, government or other agency choose to abuse their power by persecuting individuals based solely on statistical information gathered without consent. Together with imminent technological advances, such as face recognition (still in its infancy) could be a powerful tool in pacifying whole societies.