Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who.

Wow – you’re right – I hadn’t spotted that before! (Slaps forehead.)

In my defence I haven’t seen it so can’t sday muchabout it. I Haven’t even seen that final (double) epsiode of Dr Who & Rose yet which Ivideoed ages ago .. really will getaround toit one day!

As for security cameras everwhere – all these cameras seem a very sad indictment of how little trust we have in our society when it comes to people behaving honourably and truthfully.

I’d agree with theperson whomentioend Saudi Arabia as a better community -Saudi Arabia for Beelzebubs sake people!

Camera camera on the wall
Here we go record it all
All that passes
All that’s done
Scrutinised as death is sum.

Death of people,
social good
Death recorded viewed
not understood.

Seen later
Help its not
Image fuzzy,
Cop in blue
Seems they are the problem true!

FIlm deleted tampered mixed
Used to frame, befuddle, fix
Everstaring electric eye
Oh foolish minds that
think (it) can’t lie!

In a world where cameras all
Yet someone watches
the Humans thrall
They that moniter get their say
The rest obliged no choice obey.
——-
-Original poem by me, written … now.

Not a one can move without

1. It’s the Scottish Executive now, not the Scottish Office.
2. It has recently emerged that the reduction in crime stats reported by the Scottish police was largely down to the reclassification of a whole host of offences (including the ones you specifically mention) as “suspicious occurences” rather than “crimes”. See http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=672072002

As someone who lives in a Scottish city (Edinburgh) I have not personally seen any evidence for the efficacy of CCTV in crime reduction. It certainly hasn’t stopped me…

Whether it’s due to our differing historical experiences or simply because the Brits have more confidence in their democratic institutions, the Big Brother meme just doesn’t have the same power to scare and worry.

Again, I have to say that this does not correspond with my personal experience.

While I agree that that may be so, that private organisations wishing to safeguard their premises, have installed the cameras and recording apparatus, I have the impression that if some subsequent police investigation requires that location’s images, it only takes a signature from a Judge to subpoena it. Same with traffic cameras and Airports and Supermarkets etc.

And a law-abiding citizen should have no quarms about it. We have all seen the storylines in TV shows where a “loop” is introduced to fool the base control room operator, these things would be nearly impossible generally, and with the multitude of cameras at some spots, absolutely so, as no one could manipulate all of the images.

These days, an alibi would have to true as the evidence would be easy to confirm one way or the other.

I suppose one of the best known video pieces would have been the shot outside the hotel door showing Princess Diana’s driver exiting to drive her away from a function in Paris, unfortunately to die in the tunnel accident, minutes later. That was released to the world, but I wonder what other sources were available, but so far, have been held. Or maybe not at all.

There will always be conspiracies I suppose.

Ivan.

http://www.carteleonline.com/images_nuevas/1350.jpg

And as for the cameras, I am as usual crippled by seeing all sides to the situation and feel my own opinion isn’t of any interest to anyone. But this does make me want to read 1984 again. It’s been too long since I’ve felt insanely sorry for Winston.

And yes, it’s the Torchwood mentioned in Doctor Who, with Captain Jack Harkness from the previous series.

Not true. Here’s the summary of a report done by the Scottish Office about CCTV installations in Airdie town center:

* 21% fewer crimes and offences were recorded in the 24 months after installation of CCTV in Airdrie town centre compared to the 24 months prior to the introduction of CCTV. (This figure, and those given below, have been adjusted to remove the effects of seasonality and underlying trends).
* Crimes of dishonesty, which include housebreaking, shoplifting and theft of and from motor vehicles, saw the largest percentage reduction of 48% in the 24 months after CCTV.
* Crimes of fireraising and vandalism fell by 19% following the installation of CCTV.
* The police cleared up 16% more crimes and offences in the 24 months after CCTV.
* There was no evidence that crimes were ‘displaced’ from the town centre to areas without CCTV – either the immediately surrounding area or the rest of the Police Sub-division.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/resfinds/crf08-00.htm

CCTV surveillance does work, and that’s why the British public has, by and large, accepted it. Yes, I am sure that abuses do happen, but if you have the right safeguards in place, the benefits will continue to outweigh the risks. Brits are simply not as paranoid about government power as Americans have been, even before Bush started giving US citizens many more reasons to be concerned. Whether it’s due to our differing historical experiences or simply because the Brits have more confidence in their democratic institutions, the Big Brother meme just doesn’t have the same power to scare and worry.

Ironically, as others have pointed out, Americans have lost much more privacy to Big Business than they even have from the Government. I think people would be shocked to find out of just how much private information of theirs is swilling around the datasphere, being traded from one company to another with no permission and little control–much of which is at serious risk of being stolen and used against them. (TJ Maxx, just the other day, announced millions of customers have had their card numbers stolen).

The reality is that it’s only going to get more intrusive. In a couple of decades, unless you want to dig yourself a hole somewhere in Montana, we will all be continually tracked and monitored in everything we do in our daily lives. But little of it will be in the name of security or law enforcement, it will all done in pursuit of the almighty dollar–specifically yours!

But this reminds me of something:
Tim
Says:

April 2nd, 2007 at 4:51 am
You can “be afraid, be very afraid” Mr. Douglas, and make sure you put your tin hat on too. As for gerrsun, just what we need is a clog wearer’s revolution. What a bunch of whiners. Name me ONE thing that the government has done to you personally that leads you to believe 1984 is here, just one…waiting….waiting….

Please note that between 1933 and 1945 for about 80% of the German citizens it was true that the government never did even ONE thing to them personally. You know what happened to the rest.
I DO NOT COMPARE German Nazi government with any of todays governments in Britain, U.S. or elsewhere. But just because it does not harm YOU doesn’t mean it won’t harm someone else.

Actually, that’s pretty much all it shows…

http://www.metafilter.com/59932/Big-Brother-is-Watching-You-On-CCTV#1639777

Unfortunately due to the Human Rights act, burning at the stake was banned.

Only four months! That’s outrageous! It’s not just voyeurism, we’re talking about a betrayal of public trust and office.

That is the status now. I wonder what it will be in ten years from now.

What makes me afraid is, I do not think there was a plan to have this possibilities when more then 30 years ago. It simply developed that way.

Ofcourse having cameras everywhere in public places is not 1984 (which I read). I only say “be careful”

Don’t get me wrong I agree with you. I just have one word: Homeopathy.

“and let’s not forget that whole war of northern aggression.”

The South shall riiiiiise again!