A CCTV Smart car, and a rather stupid driver - A passing motorist was less than amused to see a Westminster City Council CCTV enforcement vehicle, park up on double yellow lines outside a supermarket in Mayfair. To add insult to injury, the officer wasn't working at the time, but instead went in to the store to buy his groceries. The entire incident was filmed on a mobile phone, and the officers actions are now being investigated. - Source - London Evening Standard 17th June 2011

Running rings around the roads - Advanced plans to install a network of ANPR cameras around the Hertfordshire town of Royston have been challenged by a collection of privacy groups. The town itself is in a strategic location with roads linking a number of counties, and given the potential for criminals to use the through routes, local police are keen to see the licence plate capture cameras installed as a matter of priority. - Source - Hertfordshire Mercury 15th June 2011

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How best to unscramble a mess - The online CCTV monitoring site 'Internet Eyes' has been in the spotlight again, after a recording which showed a member of the public doing their shopping, ended up being streamed on the video sharing site YouTube. Despite protests from the privacy monitoring group No CCTV, the Information Commissioner's somewhat restrained response to the data breach did include a recommendation to encrypt all future recordings, something which the boss of Internet Eyes has since indicated would be impossible to manage. - Source - PC Pro 15th June 2011

Is the goal to issue penalties? - In it's first six months of operation, Bedford Borough Councils CCTV van has issued almost 2,000 Penalty Charge Notices to motorists committing minor traffic offences. The vehicle has been targetting drivers that park up outside school gates, on bus stops and verges, and generally anywhere that is not permitted. So far almost two thirds of the penalties have been paid up within 14 days, netting over £ 43,000 ( US$ 65k, €48k ) in the first half of the year. - Source - Bedfordshire on Sunday 12th June 2011

Images of modern man - Using a modern day version of the wanted poster, police beat officers on foot patrol around Birmingham, UK are reporting a fair degree of success in apprehending local villains under Operation Blackberry. Having printed off sheets containing multiple images of wanted individuals captured by CCTV systems, the officers are quickly able to compare the pictures against suspects stopped in the street, which has helped to contribute towards over 200 arrests in less than four months. - Source - Birmingham Mail.net 10th June 2011

Special branch in camera - Attempted thefts caught on camera come in all shapes and sizes, but for officers at the Cumming Police Dept. in the US, the incident caught on Highway 20 was somewhat unusual to put it mildly. Four suspects are currently being sought, after a CCTV camera captured them cutting down a 25 foot pear tree using a chain saw, then attempting to tow it away tied to the rear of their pick up truck. - Source - Cumming Patch 10th June 2011

Nothing to see here- A committee of politicians investigating allegations of voodoo witchcraft being carried out in the Parliament House in Ghana, have been left disappointed after being told that the buildings CCTV system has been out of operation for a number of years. Following the discovery of unexplained tampering with the Minority Leaders seat, it was hoped that the internal security cameras would shed some light on who may have been responsible. - Source - Joy Online 9th June 2011

Should have let the bus pass - A trio of bungling robbers were unusually caught on CCTV, following their failed attempt to raid the Post Office in Howwood, Renfrewshire. The three are now serving jail sentences totalling 22 years, after having sought cover in a bus shelter outside the target premises, they were then inadvertently recorded by CCTV cameras fitted to a bus that briefly stopped to pick up a passenger. - Source - BBC News 9th June 2011

When the law is out of order - A driver was left fuming after her parked car was damaged by another vehicle which had apparently reversed into it. To make matters worse, the entire episode was captured on a neighbouring pubs CCTV system, but Thames Valley Police are refusing to accept the recording as evidence, stating it's been "obtained illegally" under the Data Protection Act. A number of motoring organisations have since reacted with incredulity in what they consider to be a ridiculous situation. - Source - Autoblog 9th June 2011

Not just the face that's been lifted - A 66 year old woman from Lee County in Florida, was so adamant that she didn't want wrinkles that she paid thousands of dollars to a local plastic surgeon in Fort Meyers, to carry out a face lift. When the operation failed to produce the desired outcome, the disgruntled patient had two magnetic signs fixed to her car, naming and shaming the physician for what she regarded as a thoroughly botched job. Unfortunately for her, CCTV cameras at her local WalMart spotted a female thief removing the signs from her vehicle, and driving off with them. She's since offered a $ 250 reward for their safe return. - Source - Wink News 8th June 2011

Great idea, but ..... - Advanced plans to run a three month AUS$ 120k trial of using CCTV in the New South Wales city of Newcastle, have been scrapped at the last minute. Despite the fact that funding had already been set aside and tenders sought for the project, councillors decided to go back and look at all the options again before committing a significant sum of money to using a technology, which they believe may be less than effective for their needs. - Source - Newcastle Herald 8th June 2011

Sun, sea, sand and .... - Beachcombers and sun worshippers visiting some of Israels most popular beaches, may be surprised to find an outbreak of CCTV surveillance along the shoreline. Authorities in Tel Aviv, Ashkelon and a number of other cities are moving towards widescale deployment of security cameras, to help protect visitors and provide a vital safety tool. - Source - Haaretz.com 7th June 2011

Smooth surveillance shows promise - In their first full year of operation, DriveCam safety cameras installed in all 800 buses operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, have resulted in an extraordinary 50% drop in all recorded accidents. As the cameras are specifically designed to record under sudden braking, impacts or heavy acceleration, all but two of the drivers with the worst safety record have shown a marked improvement since the equipment was installed. - Source - The Examiner 6th June 2011

Bad habits caught on camera - Not for the first time, the TCF bank in Palos Heights, Chicago was the target for robbers intent on stealing cash, but in the most recent attack, two gun wielding thieves were clearly caught on CCTV, wearing latex masks and dressed as nuns. With little concrete evidence to go on, detectives and FBI agents searching for the suspects really don't have a prayer. - Source - Daily Record 5th June 2011

The camera doesn't lie - The tragic murder of 34 year old mother of three Mary McLaren, has resulted in the conviction of her killer Patrick Rae, thanks in no small part to vital CCTV evidence. Despite claiming to have had no contact with the victim in the hours before her death, forensic surveillance recordings from in and around Fat Sams nightclub in Dundee, clearly captured the couple dancing, and subsequently leaving the venue together. - Source - BBC News 3rd June 2011

Here ... and here ... and here - Manchester Airport was chosen for a recent field trial of a new video analaytics system called 'Tag and Track'. The software's developers Ipsotek supported by BAE Systems and Kingston University, set up an innovative target tracking system that can automatically follow an individuals movements from one camera view to another. The system is apparently flexible enough to be used both for real time monitoring and also forensic analysis of recorded material. - Source - The Engineer 1st June 2011
 

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