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With literally only a few days left to go before the local elections on May 1st. 2008, the race is now seriously hotting up to become the next Mayor of London. Although there are ten people in total standing for election, Doktor Jon thought ( as a humble Londoner ) it would be an interesting exercise to set a few very simple questions for the three main candidates, to see how they regard London's position as the capital city, of what is universally regarded as the CCTV capital of the world. So brief e-mails were sent off, requesting a formal response to the following:- The incumbent mayor Ken Livingstone (Labour), Boris Johnson (Conservative) and Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrat) were all given a week to respond, and interestingly enough, two came up with part of the goods .... whilst one couldn't even manage that; to find out who was the 'no show', read on .... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conservative candidate Boris Johnson replied:- "CCTV has an important role to play in crime prevention, and I want - for example - to trial live CCTV for the worst bus routes in London. However, CCTV can never be considered an alternative to a police presence. I want to get officers back out on the streets, buses and trains by cutting the amount Mayoral agencies spend on spin, looking at how PCSO's can help with the admin burden, and lobbying the Government to tear up red tape". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick replied:- "CCTV has a part to play in policing London, but is no substitute for officers actually on the beat. However, working with local communities, CCTV cameras can have a good deterrent effect, and the information they gather can be used in court. A mixture of CCTV and proper intelligence led policing can have a real effect on crime levels in the capital". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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That said, it would be somewhat naive to assume that any of the candidates would have any significant insight into a subject, which whilst highly technical in nature, has nevertheless served many politicians well in their quest for votes, in the not so distant past. Unfortunately, no matter how well intentioned, the candidates responses clearly indicate that little is really understood about the current state of our "lottery" surveillance, provided by existing CCTV infrastructure widely deployed throughout the capital. There are many serious issues which were accurately highlighted in the recently published joint Home Office / ACPO 'National CCTV Strategy', and if there was any doubt at all about what needs to be urgently addressed in order to make proper use of the capitals video surveillance, the new Mayor's advisors would de well to consider the reports findings, if there's to be any chance at all of improving currently low levels of CCTV effectiveness. The Mayor of London is in a unique position to help everyone make the capital a much safer place ... given that crime and Anti Social Behaviour are perhaps the leading issues concerning Londoners, only time will tell whether the victor actually chooses to do something appropriate, that will actually make a difference.
Further suggested reading:- STOP PRESS:- 2nd May 2008 - Boris Johnson has been duly elected as Mayor of London. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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