The CCTV sham: 8 out of 10 cameras do not help police fight crime
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Big Brother: CCTV cameras tower over streets across Britain
More than eight out of 10 CCTV cameras do not provide satisfactory images for the police, according to a Home Office report.
The new National CCTV Strategy exposed a series of failures in current use of video surveillance.
The report - written by the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers - revealed:
• The majority of cameras are not positioned in places where they can combat terrorism or serious crime;
• Some cameras originally installed to fight crime are now being used to monitor bus lanes;
• Many cameras in public places such as shopping centres and transport hubs are designed to "monitor crowds, slips, trips and falls" rather than detect crime;
• Some police forces have failed to keep pace with technological developments, leading to evidence being lost;
• A lack of regulation surrounds privately-run CCTV;
• Some cameras were poorly maintained and "not fit for purpose";
• Poor co-operation and communication between some CCTV "stakeholders and partners".
Shadow home secretary David Davis said the report was evidence of Government incompetence.
David Davis
David Davis: Blames CCTV failures on 'incompetent' government
"The countless victims of crime in this country will be stunned to hear that not only can they not get a police officer on the streets but also most of the CCTV footage that should help them get justice is less than useless," he said.
"In yet another extraordinary admission of incompetence we see that this Government has managed to give people all the disadvantages of CCTV in terms of undermining civil liberties but only provide minimal advantage in terms of public safety and crime detection."
The report said: "Anecdotal evidence suggests that over 80 per cent of the CCTV footage supplied to the police is far from ideal, especially if it is being used for primary identification or identities are unknown and identification is being sought.
"In some cases the cameras' initial purpose has been changed or they are required to perform a number of additional and conflicting tasks.
"Some existing cameras originally installed for detecting crime are now being positioned to monitor a bus lane and record vehicle number plates."
Noting the crucial role played by CCTV in the investigation into the July 7 suicide bombings, the report went on: "The majority of cameras have not been placed in positions which may be required for the prevention and detection of serious and organised crime and counter-terrorism."
The authorities should consider placing cameras to cover high-risk targets - such as major pieces of the national infrastructure - rather than to combat low-level crime and disorder, the document said.
Camera operators should also be trained to spot "hostile reconnaissance" by terrorists.
The police's ability to access and view images had deteriorated since the dawn of digital CCTV at the start of the decade, it went on, as there is now a myriad of incompatible CCTV systems on the market.
"Recovery of some forms of digitally recorded CCTV has become a specialist function requiring specific technical skills," the 54-page strategy said.
"This has significantly increased the cost of CCTV image recovery making it prohibitively expensive in some cases.
"Many forces have failed to develop the capability and capacity to recover digitally recorded images resulting in evidence being lost."
CCTV
Wasteful: A control room displays images from CCTV cameras, most of which are useless to police
Training for all staff working in CCTV is "inadequate", the report went on.
It called for a new body to be set up to oversee CCTV schemes and ensure there is a balance between cameras deployed for crime-fighting and other uses.
There should also be a review of the location and purpose of all CCTV cameras, it said, as part of 44 recommendations.
Standards for digital CCTV should also be drawn up between police, other officials and the private sector, it said.
The review called for further funding on top of more than £200 million of central government cash spent on local CCTV schemes between 1994 and 2003.
A Home Office spokesman said: "CCTV has proven its effectiveness time and again in tackling crime and disorder.
"It also plays a vital role in the fight against terrorism and helps communities feel safer.
"The strategy recognises that for CCTV to continue to be effective it must have both the support of the public and take account of rapidly changing technology.
"It highlights the need for improved public accountability, a centralised database of schemes, national training standards for users and a stronger role for the Information Commissioner."
He added: "All the recommendations will be assessed by an expert programme board and a proposed plan of action will be submitted to ministers for consideration."
