Concerns raised for the elf and it's safety - It's not often that police find themselves looking for an elderly thief in a wheelchair, but when the stolen item turns out to be a 2 feet high mechanical elf, it's definitely not an average day at the office. The sophisticated robotic character called "Chippy" was part of a garden centre's christmas display, set up to raise funds for various charities. When the theft was first discovered, the manager reviewed the CCTV recording to find that the suspects were three women, one of whom was described as in her 70's and wheelchair bound. - Source - This is Croydon Today 16th December 2011

Please Note - Doktor Jon is currently upgrading his site, so you may see some layout changes on various pages, whilst the work is in progress.

Hopefully, the complete re-design and improvements, should be completed during 2012.

IMPORTANT: No material may be reproduced, copied or redistributed from this site, without the express written consent of doktorjon.co.uk
All the detailed information on this site is provided in good faith; and as such, Doktor Jon does not accept responsibility for any consequential loss, injury or disadvantage resulting from any individual or organisation acting on the details contained herein.

© doktorjon.info 2004 - 2012

Less crime to see, as the lights go out - Following announcements that Northampton Borough Council's austerity cutbacks will see half of it's 66,000 street lights turned off, a £ 39k ( $ 60k, € 43k ) cut in funding for their public space CCTV operations, and the distinct possibility of security cameras being de-commissioned in 2013, questions are now being asked about the possible future effects on crime in the locality. - Source - Northampton Chronicle & Echo 16th December 2011

Russian to reform the system - Having just launched his presidential campaign, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has announced that all polling stations in Russia will be equipped with CCTV cameras, in a move intended to make future elections more transparent and accountable. Critics have been quick to respond, with claims that voting under surveillance may not in itself address previous complaints from independent observers, that ballot boxes were arriving at some voting stations pre loaded with completed ballot papers. - Source - Russia Beyond the Headlines 15th December 2011

No longer free, to watch Mr Mandela - At least two media organisations in South Africa are facing prosecution, for allegedly setting up surveillance cameras to monitor the home of the 93 year old former president Nelson Mandela. His private residence in Qunu is classed as a "Key Point", which in terms of national security, is afforded the highest level of protection, and prevention of any untoward intrusive surveillance. - Source - The Telegraph 15th December 2011

This may take a while .... - In the wake of the London riots, Scotland Yard have published a further 213 images of suspects sought in connection with the unrest. To date, almost 4,000 crimes have been reported to the police, with 3,260 people having been arrested and 2,046 of those being either charged or summonsed. Teams of officers are continuing to trawl through an estimated 200,000 hours of CCTV recordings, in an effort to further identify persons of interest. - Source - BBC News London 14th December 2011

Harbourside cameras harbour no images - A 49 year old woman has written to her MP asking for assistance, after being attacked in the center of Torquay, whilst on a quiet night out with her partner. A group of up to eight males were believed to have been behind the attack, but police are apparently unable to pursue an investigation into the identities of the three main suspects as according to a spokesperson, the Town Centre CCTV was "... turned off at the time as it was being changed". - Source - This is South Devon 15th December 2011

Lucky for him, he didn't go down - A 47 year old postman working in the sorting office at Chelmsford in Essex, has been caught on camera stealing property from the Royal Mail. Following two days of covert surveillance during which the wayward postie thieved items including sunglasses, jewellery and viagara based 'enlargement' pills, he was recently convicted at the local Magistrates Court, given a six month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service. - Source - MailOnline 10th December 2011

Rockin' all over the world - Scientists from the University of Western Ontario are over the moon with the latest images captured by their astronomical camera system. An array of six strategically placed surveillance cameras accurately tracked the fiery descent to earth of a meteor estimated to be around 4.5 billion years old, which is thought to have landed around 160 kilometres north east of Toronto. - Source - TheStar.com 13th December 2011

Starkers speeder spotted on surveillance - "Eagle-eyed" CCTV Operators were credited with a bizarre capture, after a former York police officer was picked up on camera speeding through Scarborough in the wee small hours, stark naked. Following an extended police chase which included firearms officers pursuing the suspect the wrong way down one way streets, he was eventually detained wearing nothing more than his shoes and socks. Appearing more appropriately attired at York Crown Court, the 30 year old was sentenced to six months in prison and banned from driving for three years. - Source - Yorkshire Post 13th December 2011

Some things are worth waiting for .... - A 22 year old driver was less than impressed to find that her car which was parked overnight outside a friends house in Dorking, Surrey, had been vandalised causing around £ 200 ( $ 300, €220 ) worth of damage to the drivers door. Fortunately there was CCTV footage available from a nearby street surveillance camera, but police were unwilling to review the recording, saying that at 12 hours long her case wasn't serious enough to warrant all the effort. A complaint is currently being investigated by Surrey Police's Professional Standards Department. - Source - This is Surrey Today 13th December 2011

Law enforcement, but not as we know it - Not content with having deployed thousands of dummy CCTV cameras across Bangkok, the city authorities are now rolling out their very latest high tech weapon in the fight against crime. The somewhat enigmatic six feet tall fibreglass model police officers, nicknamed "Sergeant Lazy Pants" are suitably equipped with a surveillance camera hidden in the head, and are destined for undertaking perilous traffic duties, spotting errant motorists at key locations right across the city. - Source - The Wall Street Journal 13th December 2011

Cameras calm worries over storms - News from Korea, where despite the recent sharp rise in diplomatic temperatures, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is taking an innovative approach to protecting the city from severe winter snowfall. A number of CCTV cameras have been deployed at key weather monitoring stations located along the western coast, and it is hoped that these will give a detailed visual indicator of the extent of severe winter snow storms, that would be expected to arrive in the capital some 60 - 90 minutes later. - Source - The Korea Herald 13th December 2011

Caledonian camera costs carry on climbing - Latest figures released under a Freedom of Information request by The Scotsman newspaper, give a clearer picture of the current extent of CCTV usage across the country. In the last calender year, public space camera numbers rose to 3,115 across scotland, with an annual running cost increasing to £ 8.2m ( $ 12.5m, € 9m ). - Source - The Scotsman 10th December 2011

What rights for the trees? - Government plans to deploy publicly operated CCTV cameras have been ruled as illegal, by Portugal's Data Protection Commission (CNPD). The cameras are intended to help combat terrorism and prevent forest fires, but the privacy watchdog has stated that under the current proposals, " ...people's rights had not been properly protected.". - Source - The Portugal News 10th December 2011

For whom the bells toll - Relieved staff at the Blackburn Elementary School in Ellenton, Florida, narrowly avoided having to pay a heavy fine for a false activation of their fire alarm system. Suspicion initially fell to the possibility of a pupil prank, but after reviewing the schools extensive CCTV network, the culprit was eventually identified as a squirrel that managed to activate an emergency call point located in the kitchen. - Source - The Huffington Post 9th December 2011

Is nothing sacred? - A 71 year old woman who was clearly caught on camera, stealing the flowers from a childs grave in Rippleside Cemetry, Barking, Essex, has been fined £ 300 ( $ 450, € 330 ) at Redbridge Magistrates Court, after being identified by her daughter. Over more than 30 years of tending the grave of an 11 year old tragically killed in a car accident, relatives recently noticed that flower pots were going missing, so with the permission of the cemetery authorities they installed a covert camera in the hope of identifying the culprit. - Source - BBC London News 9th December 2011

Surveillance under the spotlight - An Honourable Member of the Nigerian House of Representatives, has tabled a motion which resulted in a formal government investigation being set up into the placement of a $ 470 million contract, for the supply of CCTV cameras around the capital of Abuja. Despite almost total secrecy surrounding the detail of the project, the order which was placed through a chinese supply company, has raised concerns about the possibility of sub standard equipment being used. - Source - Nigerian Tribune 8th December 2011

Cameras trained with little effect - The US Capitol's transit operator Metro teamed up with the Urban Institute to see how effective CCTV cameras have been in tackling crime across 50 of their sites. Having looked in detail at the data collated over a twelve month period, the conclusion reached was that the current use of surveillance has had no significant impact on crime in Metro's parking facilities. - Source - The Washington Examiner 6th December 2011

You can just picture it! - Controversy still surrounds the discovery of two covert surveillance cameras installed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, that contained flash drives with sensitive data images, captured in previous criminal investigations. The surveillance units had been secreted in a wooded area near the trailer home of Dion Nordick, the man who eventually discovered them hidden in the trees. Despite having been the subject of a police investigation, no further action is being taken against him, and the cameras and their precious data have now been returned to their rightful owner. - Source - bclocalnews.com 4th December 2011

Not such a g'day for some - A group of serving and former police officers in Australia have set up a CCTV posting website, to help tackle the problems of shoplifting. Since "whotube.com" was established three months ago, 127 recorded incidents have been uploaded for public consumption, with two arrests resulting. Civil Liberty groups have expressed concern that innocent individuals may be named and shamed by what is in effect, an unregulated private website. - Source - Sydney Morning Herald 4th December 2011

Taxi cams rank low for legality - With councils across the UK looking carefully at the potential benefits of installing CCTV cameras in taxis, Southampton City Council have apparently lost their case against a named individual. On the basis of taxi borne video recorded evidence being submitted into proceedings, it was ruled in Southampton Crown Court that the use of the technology was, according to a news report "...disproportionate and a violation of privacy". - Source - Bicester Advertiser 3rd December 2011

What a civil liberty! - It's been reported that the use of CCTV in private residential apartment buildings in Sweden, can not be permitted. The Supreme Administrative Court ruled that even if all the residents agree to the use of video surveillance, it is still not acceptable under existing swedish privacy laws. - Source - Stockholm News 3rd December 2011

 

<<< More recent Global CCTV News