Is video surveillance an effective tool to fight crime?

Video surveillance cameras have over the yearsconsidered a wiretap and therefore falls under rules
captured some of the most defining moments inwhich may require a warrant. This is why police often
history. Whether it was the last few steps taken bymake use of lip readers when trying to decipher the
the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, or thecontents of surveillance video.
haunting images of the 9/11 terrorist boarding their illCCTV video is often used in police investigations. In
fated flights, video has often been  the silentCanada, over 70% of all bank robberies are captured
witness to both tragedy and triumph. It’s role inby CCTV cameras. Additionally, close to 75% of all
documenting historical events is beyond reproach.commercial crime investigations have made use of
But is video surveillance an effective tool when itCCTV recordings. Commercial CCTV cameras have
comes to prosecuting criminal activity? There arealso been instrumental in helping to find missing
many different opinions on this questions. Some maypersons. The effectiveness of the technology as an
point to statistics which indicate that geographicalinvestigation tool is therefore also well established.
areas with a significant surveillance presence are justI believe most people are convinced of the
as likely to have criminal activity as jurisdictions witheffectiveness of video surveillance and may even
less of a presence. Others will argue that a significantfeel a certain amount of comfort in knowing that it
CCTV presence will curb criminal behavior and assistadds to their sense of personal safety. They
the authorities in collecting evidence and prosecutingunderstand that their chances of being a victim of
crimes.crime are reduced when they find themselves in an
As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle ofarea monitored with CCTV cameras.
both arguments, but weighs more heavily in favor ofIf this is the case, then why is CCTV surveillance so
it’s effectiveness in not only solving crimes, butcontroversial? Upon closer examination, concerns
also preventing crime. In fact, the question shouldpeople have with CCTV cameras tend to pertain to
really be ‘Is CCTV video surveillance an effectiveprivacy issues as opposed to safety issues.
crime prevention tool’.Many people fear the emergence of a ‘Big
Video surveillance is more about deterrence than it isBrother’ society where your every move is
about evidence collection. Red light cameras do catchrecorded. This probably won’t happen. The
drivers in the act, but their role is much more aboutoverwhelming majority of CCTV cameras function in
making drivers think twice before running a red light.a passive fashion, recording events to be played
In a 1991 study, CCTV surveillance in convenienceback only in the event of a crime. Because of the
stores showed promising results as a crimeconsiderable storage requirements needed to save
prevention tool. A sample of 81 stores were studiedvideo, most footage is only kept for short periods of
for 1 year prior and 1 year after the installation oftime.
CCTV camera surveillance systems. The number ofBecause video is not perpetual in nature, it’s
robberies decreased by 53 percent after the firstimpact on tracking our daily activities is not sequential
year. This represents the real value of CCTV securityenough to warrant concerns over privacy. A bigger
systems.threat exist with location aware  devices such as
The UK has has more CCTV camera coverage thanGPS trackers and cell phones. Imagine if people could
any other country. A recent study examined thetrack your every move in real time over the web.
effectiveness of UK security cameras as it pertainsThat is happening today and is a much bigger threat
to crime prevention. The evaluations were carried outto our privacy.
in city centers, public housing, public transport and carIn conclusion, surveillance technology is helping us
parks. 11 of 22 of these study cases indicated adocument history in much the same way as books
reduction in the crime rate. CCTV is clearly anand photos have for thousands of years. Statistics
effective deterrence to criminal activity.clearly point to the effectiveness of the technology
Video is also a useful tool for law enforcementin crime prevention and investigation. It’s use will
agencies, but it must be noted that CCTV recordingscontinue to be controversial with privacy advocates
cannot make use of audio information - if sound isand civil libertarians.
recorded along with the video, the recording is then