Download Role & Impact of CCTV in Crime Prevention: Benefits, Disadvantages & Considerations and more Schemes and Mind Maps English Language in PDF only on Docsity! 3. CCTV a) Introduction - Video surveillance or closed circuit television (CCTV) was originally developed in an attempt to prevent crime in private spaces, such as banks and shopping centres. - Over the past three decades it has increasingly been used in efforts to prevent crime and improve safety in public places, such as parks, transport interchanges, shopping/business districts. - Most major cities throughout the world have now installed an extensive array of CCTV cameras that are linked to control rooms which are equipped with video monitors in order to monitor the designated public spaces with a view to discouraging criminal offending and improving perceptions of safety in these areas. - CCTV cameras greatly help to reduce the burden of the police and make the work of the police efficient and fast. b) Benefits of Video Surveillance Camera Systems Creat awareness: it creates an awareness among members of the public. Criminals, or potential criminals are aware of the cameras; and think and act in a relatively rational manner, in that they will be discouraged from committing crimes in the areas covered by the CCTV cameras. These systems may also make members of the public more conscious of the possibility of being victims of crime, and hence may become more vigilant in this regard. legal record of crime – One of the best things about a video surveillance camera system is the evidence it can provide in the event of a crime. For example, in the workplace, surveillance cameras can catch evidence of sexual harassment as these systems can also record audio, sound, and voice. You will also be able to monitor employees if you suspect employee theft. ability to build a network of security cameras – If your home or business is very large, you can have several cameras installed that are connected to a network. Each camera’s view can be fed to a central control room to be monitored by security personnel. convenient monitoring from anywhere – You can access your surveillance camera feed on the Internet or CCTV. Some models even allow you to watch your home or business from your smartphone! Useful in investigation Proportion of crimes for which CCTV recordings were useful in the investigation The chart shows the proportion of offences of different types for which CCTV was available and, within that, the proportion for which it was useful. -There are large variations across crime types, with recordings being useful in 62.2% of robbery investigations but only 10.7% of drug investigations. - There was also variation in the proportion of cases where CCTV is useful given that it is available: recordings were often available in cases of thefts from motor vehicles, but are often not useful; in drugs cases, images were rarely available but (when they were) they were almost-always useful. Source: springer.com c) Disadvantages of Video Surveillance Camera Systems The CCTVs receive unlimited praise for their proven prowess in crime prevention and protection although they do not function to maximum prevention. Deterring crime using the CCTVs may deem tricky due to several factors. Cost Probably the biggest downside of a video surveillance camera system is how expensive it is. For some systems, you must purchase the camera separately as well as something to store the video footage on, like CDs, tapes, or a computer dedicated to the camera. Additionally, you will need to buy software updates from time to time, and repairs to these systems can be quite costly. Criminals: surveillance avoidance The installation of CCTV systems may result in offenders wearing clothing and accessories in order to obscure their faces in an effort to avoid identification However, the more modern CCTV systems have the capability to develop algorithms that can detect and monitor styles of dressing and suspicious behaviour. Privacy considerations The use of CCTV cameras to monitor persons in public spaces has a number of complex implications in terms of privacy rights and legislation. That is, CCTV surveillance systems may result in violations of individual rights and privacy protections. This is particularly in relation to what data is collected, as well as how the data is collected, used and stored.
