Watching me, watching you

It's no secret that the UK is one of the most watched countries in the world - so when I was out and about in the West End of London today, and I did what I've told myself I need to do more.

I looked up.

By looking at familiar things from different angles, we see things in a different light and sometimes we see things we didn't realise were there.

This CCTV setup in Chinatown had been festooned with decorations from a recent festival. It caught my eye - and made me think.

According to Wikipedia:

"There is little evidence that CCTV deters crime; in fact, there is considerable evidence that it does not...in London "Police are no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of cameras than in those with hardly any."

A 2008 Report by UK Police Chiefs concluded that only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV. In London, a Metropolitan Police report showed that in 2008 only one crime was solved per 1000 cameras.

There may be valid reasons for using CCTV in a comprehensive physical security program, but deterrence is not one of them."

Do you agree?