Cctv
The Pros and Cons of Public CCTV Monitoring
By Kent Dunn
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The ever-growing use of CCTV cameras in large city centers is a controversial issue. There is a large gray area regarding the ethics of these security cameras. One side of the argument speaks out about the benefits of a 24/7 video record as a crime deterrent. The other, more outspoken side, argues for the right to privacy. There are two sides of the story, and each group has its points. This article will tackle the benefits of having a public form of CCTV first and follow up with a counterpoint about the effectiveness of surveillance cameras.
The initial argument regarding the positives of CCTV is that it will deter criminals from committing crimes in public. This is true in some cases. Several studies, including one commissioned by the ACLU, which is commonly known as being anti-CCTV, have shown that CCTV has reduced property crime and premeditated crime. This has affected car theft on public streets, store break-ins and muggings in parking lots.
It 's hard to measure the success of CCTV cameras because their aim is largely preventive. One significant advantage to using CCTV cameras that we 've seen in the past two decades is the use of surveillance cameras in retail stores. Most shoppers know they are being watched by several cameras at once, which are put in place to deter shoplifting. Also, employees are protected against false allegations in the workplace due to the evidence of recorded footage. Employees are also less likely to steal from their workplaces. You can see that this is a big issue just by looking above the cashier line at a Walmart or Target. In the U.S. for 2012 alone, there was $50 billion stolen from businesses by their own employees, according to an Employee Theft Statistics report.
As evidenced by the above points, there are good reasons for the use of security cameras in private businesses and as a premeditated-crime deterrent. Now let 's look at the negative
By Kent Dunn
FOLLOW US
SHARE
The ever-growing use of CCTV cameras in large city centers is a controversial issue. There is a large gray area regarding the ethics of these security cameras. One side of the argument speaks out about the benefits of a 24/7 video record as a crime deterrent. The other, more outspoken side, argues for the right to privacy. There are two sides of the story, and each group has its points. This article will tackle the benefits of having a public form of CCTV first and follow up with a counterpoint about the effectiveness of surveillance cameras.
The initial argument regarding the positives of CCTV is that it will deter criminals from committing crimes in public. This is true in some cases. Several studies, including one commissioned by the ACLU, which is commonly known as being anti-CCTV, have shown that CCTV has reduced property crime and premeditated crime. This has affected car theft on public streets, store break-ins and muggings in parking lots.
It 's hard to measure the success of CCTV cameras because their aim is largely preventive. One significant advantage to using CCTV cameras that we 've seen in the past two decades is the use of surveillance cameras in retail stores. Most shoppers know they are being watched by several cameras at once, which are put in place to deter shoplifting. Also, employees are protected against false allegations in the workplace due to the evidence of recorded footage. Employees are also less likely to steal from their workplaces. You can see that this is a big issue just by looking above the cashier line at a Walmart or Target. In the U.S. for 2012 alone, there was $50 billion stolen from businesses by their own employees, according to an Employee Theft Statistics report.
As evidenced by the above points, there are good reasons for the use of security cameras in private businesses and as a premeditated-crime deterrent. Now let 's look at the negative
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-circuit_television