Police chiefs have admitted there are flaws in a “big brother” surveillance system that enables them to track and store the daily journeys of millions of motorists.
The police chief who co-ordinates the growing network of more than 5,000 roadside cameras, which records the whereabouts of 16m vehicles, said the network was patchy and left”large gaps in coverage in various parts of the country”.
I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies. For me, this is good news – albeit too little and by default, rather than by design. I am not convinced by the “catching criminals and terrorists” argument. There is no need whatsoever for the routine surveillance of ordinary law abiding citizens going about their daily business and storing it for up to six years. This is nothing more than obsessive control freakery and should be stamped upon from a great height.
No other democratic country routinely tracks innocent motorists in this way.
Quite. Nuff said. After all, they are not being blown up by terrorists nor are they overrun by criminals evading detection.
LR – you are absolutely right, these people are beyond parody.
I find it quite staggering that outwith a scattering of websites such as yours, nobody really seems to object to this control freakery – such is the legacy of the Blair years, (and Cameron will be remembered as son-of-blair).
My view is that the good news is extremely time-limited – this looks like a prelude to asking for more money to fill in the gaps…
Read some of the insane comments below the line on the original article for an insight into the minds of the sheeple.
I call bullshit on that number! Even if it’s correct, how many convictions?
DaveE.
Well, quite. Also compared to the overall population, it ain’t much. It’s also worth pointing out that speed cameras, supposedly a road safety initiative have been demonstrated to have no such effect. We need less surveillance, much, much less, not more.
I’ve been stopped for driving uninsured cars through this system.
Doesn’t mean I’m not insured but it can take a good part of an hour to clear it.
EDIT: If you look at the statistics, speed cameras have even been known to cause accidents. The cameras on the A34 Oxford to Winchester were switched off with no increase in accidents, so what are they doing? turning them all back on again!
DaveE.
Average speed camers on motorways are ANPR enabled.
And the “driving style” to avoid the cameras? Change lanes between the two cameras in an average speed camera trap. Though I suspect that’s the police mentioning it to give the impression that they can be avoided when in actual fact there is no way to avoid them as the cameras are networked together. A bit of misinformation to fool criminals into getting caught.
The only way to avoid them is to not drive past them. And when they talk about the many gaps in the system – well I’m not surprised. There are a millions of miles of roads, not just motorways. So unless they have millions of cameras there will always be gaps.
Unfortunately they don’t need cameras everywhere, only at the junctions.
You can add to the list those new, ever-so-helpful, car-park cameras which enable the system to calculate how much you need to pay – it clocked your number-plate on the way in, it clocks it on the way out, then calculates the charge. How useful.
This is, of course, completely unnecessary technology, until you add in the ‘benefit’ of all that collected ANPR tracking-data, which is then added to the Big Brother database.
They recently installed these at the pick-up/drop-off zone at Leeds/Bradford airport (previously free) and had to invent a small charge simply to justify the exercise of data collection. And they think we don’t notice !
Interestingly, I wrote to their local press about it, asking the airport’s management to explain – guess what, they didn’t print my letter ! Spooky.
Where is a good accurate long range paint ball gun when you need one?
Actually what you are seeing is the result of an unaccountable private company running the police force of the country – it will only change when the police become accountable to the community.
I’m surprised there hasn’t been a guerrilla campaign to emasculate speed-cameras, but in a non-criminal-damage way.
If everyone simply slipped a black bin-liner over their local speed-camera, the authorities wouldn’t be able to keep up with removing them, yet no physical damage would be caused. (And no detriment to road-safety either).
There maybe a reason thay are out of ordinary reach.
Did everyone see the freaks attempt to suggest re-introducing “security scans” at all major RAIL termini & tube stations.
250% Upney ( 1 stop past Barking )
ARRRGH!
Oh – how to beat those.
Ful1y-charged 1 or 2 farad (+), 12V capacitor in case, plus relay-operated shorting switch, with one plate of capacitor connected to slightly dishe plate.
Carry in briefcase or rucksack (DON’T wear digital watch, put your phone in a metal box) … as you pass the “Gate” discharge capacitor.
EMP will FRY all sensors!
Great fun!