Secret CCTV cameras fitted INSIDE people’s homes to spy on neighbours
Town halls are installing cameras inside suburban homes to spy on the neighbourhood. The Big Brother tactic – which is allowed under the anti-terrorist Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act – is being used by Croydon council in South London to catch those suspected of ‘anti-social behaviour’.The CCTV cameras are placed inside the house of a willing resident, but trained on the street. If deemed successful, the £1,000 cameras could be installed across the country to catch low-level offenders.
The London borough has become the first to test out placing CCTV cameras inside homes Charles Farrier, of the campaign group No-CCTV, said: ‘There is no evidence they act as a deterrent and we should be concentrating on the root problem anyway and working to gel our communities.’
Simon Davies, of Privacy International, said: ‘Unless the public are aware of where these cameras are, I believe this council should be taken to court for a breach of human rights.’ Critics say the scheme has echoes of the East German Stasi secret police, which recruited members of the public as spies.
Those who would trade freedom for security deserve (and obtain) neither.
