Cameras care in the Community - Uttoxeter is the first town in Staffordshire, UK to receive 19 CCTV cameras that are being fitted into the houses of their community's most vulnerable people. A total of 72 units are set to be installed to help tackle the problems caused by rogue traders and bogus callers, that prey on often elderly residents in their own homes. - Source - Burton Mail 31st March 2012

Cracking on with the investigation - A man sustained burns to his nether regions, after a minor explosion caught the victim unawares in a toilet at the Sri Rampai LRT train station. CID officers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are studying CCTV recordings to try and identify the previous occupant, who is believed to have taped a lit firecracker under the toilet seat just seconds before the hapless 22 year old fell victim to what appears to be a mindless prank. - Source - AsiaOne News 31st March 2012

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Cab drivers contest compulsory cameras - Local taxi operators are up in arms, following a decision by Oxford City Council to compel all new vehicles to be fitted with CCTV from April 1st. Now the local Member of Parliament Nicola Blackwood has written to the council and the Information Commissioner, in an attempt to have the scheme suspended. - Source - ITV News - Meridian 31st March 2012

The price of brown envelopes these days - Following a ten year investigation which apparently included seven tons of evidential material, three men were convicted at Belfast Crown Court on charges relating to bribery over contracts for the placement of CCTV tenders in Northern Ireland. All three received custodial sentences totalling seven years behind bars, and were also fined a total of almost £ 1.1 million ( US$ 1.75m, € 1.25m). A fourth person was given a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to a minor charge. - Source - The Wall Street Journal 30th March 2012

Not exactly an arresting site - News from Vikaspuri in India, where eleven prisoner transport vehicles parked up in the local police barracks, have themselves become the victims of crime. The vans were all equipped with CCTV, that is until persons unknown decided to remove nine cameras and six monitor screens, all in the dead of night. Whilst a case of theft has been recorded by local police, three officers have subsequently been suspended as part of an investigation into negligence of duty. - Source - The Indian Express 30th March 2012

It wouldn't happen in the movies - A 45 year old actor best known for playing a TV detective, has had his conviction for alleged shoplifting quashed after a hearing in the Court of Appeal, upheld an earlier ruling by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur. The accused was alleged to have removed two books from a shop some four years ago, but in court the judge ruled that the prosecution had singularly failed to prove it's case, after police returned the evidence to the bookstore, and not even bothered to recover vital CCTV recordings which would have clearly shown the sequence of events. - Source - New Straits Times 29th March 2012

Schools are learning fast - Under the federal Secure Schools Program, Doonside Technology High School in Sydney, Australia, installed CCTV specifically to help reduce crime, but since the 57 security cameras went live, reported incidents of bullying amongst pupils have actually dropped by a staggering 70 percent. Interestingly, when The Telegraph news site questioned their readers about whether they agree with having CCTV in local schools, out of more than 7,000 votes cast almost 92% were in favour. - Source - The Telegraph 28th March 2012

Here, there ... lets all share - Cheshire Constabulary are urging local businesses to become more proactive in tackling crime, through better use of their privately operated CCTV systems. Apart from requesting users to register with police the precise details of their camera's locations, shops and offices are also being encouraged to share CCTV images of suspects, using an online reporting system, which it is hoped will speed up the identification of crime suspects. - Source - Ellesmere Port Pioneer 28th March 2012

Chinese food for thought - A leading chinese security expert has cautioned against the use of foreign surveillance technology. Highlighting national security risks that might result from using overseas manufactured CCTV systems in certain "important areas and industries", the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Public Security's first research institute went on to cite the important role that security cameras play in helping to tackle crime in China. Leading manufacturers such as Cisco, Samsung, Sony, Canon and Panasonic are thought to be have around 80% share of the Chinese market, according to research by Frost & Sullivan. - Source - Bloomberg Businessweek 27th March 2012

Generosity in the face of tragedy - Appalled by the death of a cab driver who was attacked in Bedford, UK earlier in the year, Matthew Stockdale the boss of local firm PoliceWitness.com decided to donate 90 CCTV camera units for use in the towns taxis. A spokesperson for the local Taxi and Private Car Hire Association was quick to show their appreciation for the public spirited donation, saying "This is fantastic news for us ..." - Source - Bedford Today 27th March 2012

Careful what you tread - A 59 year old man was convicted at Gloucester Magistrates Court, after being caught on CCTV slashing his 73 year old neighbours car tyre. The female victim who had been on the receiving end of 19 slashed tyres in 10 seperate incidents over a period of a year, was relieved when a suspect was finally apprehended after another concerned neighbour set up a security camera to watch over the victims driveway. On conviction, the court handed down a 12 month conditional discharge, ordered the payment of £ 85 (US$ 135, €95 ) court costs, and the grand sum of £ 28 ( US$ 45, € 32 ) compensation to the victim. - Source - This is Gloucester 27th March 2012

Facing up to the future - Engineers working at the Hitachi Kokusai Electric company have reportedly developed a surveillance camera system capable of capturing a relatively low standard facial image, that can be efficiently compared against as many as 36 million records, in less than a second. No information is provided as to it's actual accuracy on identifying individuals, or indeed how the 36 million facial images are going to be obtained! - Source - IEEESpectrum 26th March 2012

Blue sky thinking, or pie in the .... - According to recent figures from IMS Research, Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) otherwise known as "cloud" based video surveillance, grew globally by 25% to around US$ 500m in 2011, compared to the previous year. Notwithstanding a number of technical and operational issues connected with the technology, IMS Research go on to forecast a market possibly valued at around $ 1 billion by 2014. - Source - CBR App Dev and SOA News 23rd March 2012

If they've done nothing wrong .... - The ongoing saga of Oxford City Council compelling unwilling taxi drivers to install CCTV in their cabs from April 1st, took a bizarre twist after the drivers organised a meeting to discuss their concerns and their 250 signature petition against mandatory CCTV, with local council officials. Nick Pickles, a prominent spokesperson for the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, was also invited to attend by the drivers, but was then apparently barred at the last minute from entering what officers later described as a "private meeting". - Source - Oxford Mail 23rd March 2012

Something so sweet, leaves a bitter taste - A National Express coach driver has been sacked, after being caught on CCTV popping a single grape into his mouth, whilst waiting in his vehicle at the bus terminus in Bedworth, Warwickshire. The 66 year old was apparently captured on camera behind the wheel of his stationary coach with no passengers on board, but after five years service has been dismissed for breach of the company's health and safety policy. - Source - ioL News 23rd March 2012

A double edged sword - The Public Security Chief Major General Tariq Al Hassan, has confirmed that all police interview rooms in Bahrain will be equipped with video and audio monitoring systems, to help tackle human rights violations. The systems which are expected to be up and running within months, will also be used to counter allegations made against police officers, by suspects held in custody. - Source - Arabian Business 21st March 2012


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