CCTV in Wandsworth
I originally posted this in Putney (my home) but it applies everywhere.A recent headline in Wandsworth Guardian ‘They’re Spying on You’ reinforces a widely held view that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), dubbed "snoopers charter" compromises our civil right to privacy. And right here in our own Borough too.The UK has 1% of the world’s population yet has a staggering 20% of the world’s CCTVs. After Russia and China, according to Privacy International, the UK ranks as one of the leading surveillance societies in the world. One camera for every fourteen of us - and increasing year by year.Except in a few high profile cases, where (it might be argued it is in the interests of Government to persuade us otherwise) there is little hard evidence that CCTV has prevented acts of terrorism or reduced the level of crime while the prison population has doubled in the last twenty years. Yet under the guise of combating terrorism, the present Government are busily granting police, local authorities and many other agencies wide ranging powers over every aspect of our lives. Now that they are in place, the structural powers are readily available for abuse by some future less benign government.But we don’t have to step outside Wandsworth to see that. Like a plague, cameras have infested our Borough until there is now no escape.Councillor Leonne Cooper "find[s] it both surprising and outrageous that the council has misused a piece of legislation" to catch benefit fraudsters, fly-tippers, blue badge offenders and the like.I agree. However, according to the Home Office, it appears that WBC is acting within, but to the very limits of this pernicious law.Interestingly, again according to the Home Office, local authorities "cannot carry out intrusive surveillance … nor are they able to access the most intrusive form of communication data – namely traffic data". A WBC spokesman boasts, "As a direct result of RIPA we have convicted more than 400 motorists of 1,164 blue badge offences since 2004 …".So, can WBC assure all of us that they have not strayed outside the scope of RIPA and used ‘traffic data’ to convict in any one of these cases?Finally, just where do our elected members and prospective parliamentary candidates stand on the issue?Two weeks ago, just as a test case I (politely) emailed WBC as follows: I still have not yet received even a simple acknowledgement. Have we a problem with our elected members? Have I not the right to know? Have things come down to this?"Dear Officer,I am attempting to build as large a picture as possible about the level of information held about me (at present) or/and accessible to you under the statutary powers granted to you under RIPA? Can you include CCTV images, movements, political affiliations, tax details, health, car details, traffic violations or any other - none, some or all of these please by any source either public or private.I realize that this may involve a good deal of effort but I really would be most grateful.Yours Sincerely. etc
Robert Storey ● 5748d0 Comments