2012/17: Increasing the use of CCTV: should Australia install more closed circuit TV cameras?
What they said...
'You can still be murdered, raped, bashed, robbed or harassed or whatever and you know walking in front of the CCTV camera doesn't necessarily protect you from that'
David Vaile, the vice-chair of the Australian Privacy Foundation
'For the most part, it is for our safety...In public you are in full view. You should expect to be filmed'
Charlie Bezzina, a former Victoria Police homicide squad detective
The issue at a glance
Following the alleged abduction and murder of Brunswick resident, Jill Meagher, in September 2012, the Victorian Government has ordered an audit of Melbourne's CCTV network. Melbourne lord mayor, Robert Doyle, has stated, 'I would be very happy to look at putting more (cameras) in.'
Similarly, Western Australia's Police Union and the State Opposition have called for more security cameras in Perth's nightlife areas amid concerns there are big blind spots in the CCTV network.
Western Australian Police Minister, Liza Harvey, has claimed that the cameras, which played a role in the arrest of the alleged killer of former Perth resident, Jill Meagher, were 'an effective tool in both preventing and solving crimes'.
Though proposals for increased CCTV surveillance appear to have general public support, there are those who are concerned about the privacy implications of a proliferation of CCTV cameras. There have also been significant doubts raised about the efficacy of this form of surveillance as a crime prevention measure. There are also those who suggest its utility in detecting and prosecuting criminals has been exaggerated.
Background
(The following information is an edited version of some of the material found in the Wikipedia entry titled 'Closed-circuit television'.
The full text of this entry can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-circuit_television)
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of...