CCTV camera question

....the basic mechanisms upon which it is assumed CCTV reduces crime:
Deterrence
Efficient Deployment
Self Discipline
Detection

Deterrence The premise is that offenders make reasoned decisions about the risks of offending in the presence of CCTV and choose either not to offend or offend elsewhere (Armitage, 2002).

CCTV may reduce the motivation of a potential offender by increasing the perceived risk. The presence of CCTV may remove suitable victims by making people more security conscious and as a consequence less vulnerable to crime. CCTV can act either directly as a capable guardian or by allowing the police to respond more quickly to an offence, introduce the presence of a capable guardian.

Efficient Deployment CCTV allows for the more efficient deployment of resources. CCTV allows one camera operator to “patrol” larger areas more quickly and efficiently than someone on the ground. In their study on the perceived effectiveness of CCTV, Honess and Charman (1992), found that efficient management (or as one respondent is quoted “adding to our options in the management of the centre”) was the main objective for the installation of CCTV in three out of four case studies. CCTV provides information to those who are monitoring a scene enabling them to decide whether or not police assistance is required. Often there is another monitor in the police control room showing staff there an incident that the camera operators feel they should be alerted to. Once alerted the control room staff can use the information to coordinate an appropriate response. If there is a large group of people fighting, it is usually necessary to send more than one officer and if there is a small dispute it might be important not to inflame the situation with a heavy police response (Brown, 1995).

Self Discipline With close links to the routine activity theory discussed above, this falls into two categories. There is self-discipline by potential victims, who are reminded of the risk of crime and alter their behaviour accordingly. In this way, CCTV can be seen to reduce the number of suitable targets and thus reduce the chances of a crime taking place (Armitage, 2002).

The second category is self discipline by potential offenders and draws heavily upon Foucault’s (1991) discussion of the Bentham’s Panopticon. The threat of potential surveillance causes individuals to alter their normal behaviour and instead police themselves.


Detection Of all the mechanisms, this is the most publicised. There have been a number of high profile cases in which images of the offenders were captured on CCTV, aided their detection and arrest (Armitage, 2002). As Michael Howard, then Home secretary stated in 1995, “CCTV catches criminals. It spots crimes, identifies lawbreakers and helps convict the guilty” (McCahill and Norris, 2002).

However, what is not so widely publicised is the effort that often goes into detection using CCTV. McCahill and Norris (2002) highlight the case of David Copeland who was captured with the aid of CCTV. He was arrested after planting three nail bombs in London. In order to identify him Police studied 1097 videotapes with over 26,000 hours of recorded material. It took fifty detectives over ten days work to identify him and as long to find an image of sufficient quality to release to the press.