Despite having more CCTV cameras than anywhere else in Europe, UK police have solved a whopping 3 percent of London robberies with them. Considering that all those cameras cost somewhere in the billions of pounds, or infinity dollars, that’s not exactly the return on investment many had wanted to see.
As to why the cameras aren’t being used to solve crime, New Scotland Yard says police find them hard to use—who wants to sift through hours of video tape looking for a single, grainy frame?—and that, subsequently, criminals aren’t afraid of them. Remember, CCTV was initially ushered in as a preventative measure, not a retroactive crime solver.
My initial reaction is nothing more than a Nelson “ha-ha!” laugh. If the cameras aren’t cost-effective, then there’s little reason to keep them. I could give a toss about the privacy concerns of others. Stay righteous and there’s no reason to be afraid of “The Man,” I think.